"Leon! Where are you, you stupid son of a-"
Pressed against a wall in a rather shadowy alley, Leon listened to his brother's footsteps dash passed his hiding place. He waited a moment, then poked his head out onto the street, glancing in both directions to make sure Noel was out of sight.
Good. He had about a minute and a half before his brother actually started to use his brain and decided to track his scent, so he darted across the open space and into the first unlocked building he came across.
Which, he realized when he turned around to take stock, was a library. A small smile played at his lips. He liked libraries. He could work with a library. As quietly and inconspicuously as he could, he darted toward one of the back rows, slipping in between two shelves and fetching up against a wall, trying to seem as though he was completely absorbed in locating a particular book.
He smirked a bit. This was just perfect. The last place Noel would want to come look for him. Finally, he could relax.
Relaxing wasn't exactly a word she was familiar with as the young librarian's 'assistant' tottered down the hall, pushing the heavy cart as it's wheels squealed beneath the weight. It winded her every time, but she was determined not to let that stop her from using the thing, it was, after all, the easiest way to transport the heavier books around this library.
Though not the largest library in the country by any means, it was still a large and boastful one, with a few single edition books privately owned here and only here. And though she herself was found of books in every shape and every color, she couldn't appreciate the writing on the pages when she was knee deep in work. And these books weren't exactly going to put themselves away. So onward she pushed her squeaky cart, good and slow, right down the hall from the man trying to relax in his private hideaway, but close enough to be inadvertently intrusive.
But after the girl with the heavy cart was past his aisle in the library, he'd hear the cart come to an abrupt halt as the girl gasped and something distinctively metal clattered over- while that area of the library grew just a tad darker.
She had, after all, knocked over one of the candles and of course, the wax had gotten onto her dress, the books, as well as the floor. It also didn't help that some was even in her hair, a few bits on her cheek, which burned, and forearm as well- those of whihc made her cringe, but not as much as to see the wax marring the book's covers.
"Oh, Ansgar's name," she huffed, and bent over the cart and used her short finger nails in attempts to clean off the wax splotted books.
The squeaking was annoying.
The metallic clatter and soft curse was even more annoying.
With a sigh, Leon stuck his head out to see what had happened. His eyes lit on a girl- young woman, really- but there was something about her that made the word girl jump into his mind. With a huff, he took a wary step toward her, eyes flicking over her prim little form and mass of wavy hair.
"Need some help?" he asked gruffly, tilting his head to one side as he watched her.
At the sound of the man's voice, she immediately diverted her eyes once she got a look at him. It wasn't a good look, but it was enough for her to freeze up. Good men had that effect on her. She was just too shy around them, and she immediately felt her head swim.
But oh.. right, he asked her a question. She dropped to her knees to tend to the wax on the floor, and to keep her face away from him.
"Oh- n-no! Don't worry! I'm fine. Please, continue with your reading..." And she spared a glance up to see if he was holding any sort of book.
Leon glanced at the cover of the book he held, only then remembering he'd actually grabbed one. "Oh. Uh, I'm not really..."
With a small sigh he knelt next to her, tilting his head at the wax on the floor. "How's this happen then?" he asked, quiet and gruff. He glanced up at her through the short bangs that had fallen in front of his face.
She was a cute little thing, he realized. He normally didn't give women a second glance, but she was...cute. Maybe a little mousey.
The cat in him purred. He dropped his eyes and cleared his throat.
Was that a romance novel he was reading. She tried not to comment, eyes focused on the ground. She tried not to look at him when he spoke at her, looked at her, and the mess on the floor, but she gave a quick look his way then back to the wax.
"Really, you don't need to worry about it. My cart just knocked the candle over." And she finally saw where it rolled to, leaving a nice waxy trail in its wake. She sighed. Thankfully the wax could peel off, but it was just making sure she got all of it up before her boss found out.
"I'm sorry to have bothered you. I'll be more careful next time with my cart."
Hopefully he'd just leave so she could get back to work. The man being on his knees too just made this well.. much more awkward than it should have been!
Seeing where she was looking, Leon reached for the candle. "Don't worry about it," he grunted. "You work here then?" he asked, not quite sure why he did. He wasn't exactly a social person, but something about her was compelling.
The animal in him- and the demon, if he was being honest- saw prey. What kind of prey remained to be seen, but she'd definitely sparked his hunter's instinct.
Seeing him go for the candle, she was about to protest but well, he'd already gotten it. WIht the wax now off the floor, she stood up, brushing off her shirts and giving an awkward sigh.
"Thanks," she said, waiting to get the candle back. "And yes," she bit her lip, worried one of her bosses might be nearby to come and scold her soon before stating, "I do work here." And it was finally then she got a better look at him by accidentally meeting her eyes to his.
Leon stood when she did, holding the candle out to her. She had doe eyes, he decided. Big, brown doe eyes.
Without thinking, he reached out to touch her cheek, wanting to see if her skin was as smooth as it looked. His head tilted to the side, eyes roaming curiously over her features.
And that's when she froze. Maybe the whole world froze as her heart leaped into her throat. But a second later, she was nearly spitting out her heart (had it been in her throat) when she heard her employer bark,
"Miss Longfellow! What on earth happened here!?"
Nearly jumping out of her skin, she twirled around.
"Master Lensom! I can explai-" Except her explanation was cut short when her hip knocked over a second candle post.
Leon lunged forward, catching the falling candle post with reflexes that were- well, catlike. He gave the newcomer an irritated glance as he righted it.
And promptly froze. "Oh, fuck me," he muttered, frowning.
Noel stood some distance behind who he assumed was this "Miss Longfellow"s employer, arms crossed and expression thunderous.
He sighed. Here we go...
"LEON!"
Yep.
At the sudden shout, Artemis nearly jumped out of her skin a second time, and found herself almost stumbling into Leon. Grimacing, she muttered her apologies and scrambled to her cart while Master Lensom turned to address Noel.
"Sir, you'd do well not to shout in this establishment," came his puffy chide and then to Artemis, he crossed the short distance to her side and used the cane he had been carrying and rapped it across her hands just once while she held onto the cart's handle.
"More grace next time, Miss Longfellow. More grace." And he gave her a firm look before looking to the other two gentlemen and giving a cold smile. "Can I help you?"
Leon scowled when he rapped the girl's knuckles. "Hey, look, it's not like it was her fault-"
"I'll shout where I damn well want to!"
He closed his eyes and sighed. "Noel-"
"You shut up!" His brother grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, glaring daggers at him. "Don't you ever do something like that to me again you brat!"
Leon hissed and twisted away from him, but tried to keep his cool. "Look, we can scream at each other later-"
"I think we can scream at each other now!" Noel might have said more, but his eyes flickered in the girl's direction.
And suddenly he was all charm. "Well hello," he said, voice instantly low and smooth, eyes flicking over her in an evaluating sort of way. "Forgive me, Miss, I forget myself. Doesn't do to shout in front of a lady.
Leon rolled his eyes. Oh sweet mercy, here we go...
Artemis was relieved to be out of this situation and was well on her way to pushing her cart onward, dusting off a few wax pieces as she went, and forgetting (or not realizing) she still had some in her hair and on her cheek. There was probably even some on her clothing, but the books were more important, anyhow. But when Noel suddenly called attention her way, his smooth talking had her cringing.
THankfully Master Lensom had some choice words to say.
"Yes, in front of a lady, but also in a Connlaothian library, a place sacred to studying! Now I suggest the pair of you take this quarrel elsewhere lest I call a city guard."
"Sorry," Leon muttered before Noel could say anything, grabbing his arm. "We're leaving." He began towing his brother toward the door.
He looked back over his shoulder at the girl though, unable to help himself.
For his part, Noel was looking at her too. Though, to be fair, he'd never actually stopped looking at her once he'd seen her. "Cute little thing, isn't she?" he commented to Leon, not bothering to keep his voice down. He was still angry with his baby brother, but he'd wait until they were outside to really lay into him.
As the men departed, she felt such a weight lifted off her shoulders- but not the noose around her neck. She got plenty of scolding that day herself, and he candles that got ruined because of her 'careless grace' would be taken from her pay. And pay day couldn't come quick enough. Sure it was a weekly affair, but this week had been extremely hard on herself, as well as her family. The medicine her parents needed had gone up drastically in price, and Artemis found herself begging to work some hours of the night shift.
Master Lensom almost removed those extra hours, but figured the library could use a thorough mopping that evening, and Artemis was naturally the perfect one for the job. Either way, work was work, and for the most part, something she did enjoy. The smell of books was one of her favorites, and she got to ready most of what was there. There were a few books behind glass that not even she could touch, but coding and categorizing scrolls and tomes were actually fun.
But nothing could beat a good book, and curiously, she wondered about the one the strange man from earlier had been reading and found herself picking it up as she went about on her second rounds with her squeaky cart, not realizing the two brothers were still, at least somewhat, nearby.
"This is a bad idea."
"You're no fun."
"This is a bad idea."
"You're just saying that 'cause I'm the one who came up with it."
"Which almost by definition makes it a bad idea."
Noel gave him a dry look. "Shut up." He glanced down the dim hall of the library, then nodded an all clear. "Come on, lighten up. We're here to see this girl you're in love with." He smirked over his shoulder.
Leon rolled his eyes. "All I said was that she was intriguing."
"And I haven't seen you intrigued by someone with lady bits in decades, which makes her intriguing to me," Noel shot back primly. "Besides, you've never wanted to sneak into one of these places after closing?"
"No," Leon muttered bluntly.
Noel shook his head with a dramatic sigh. "Like I said. You, brother dear, are no fun."
Thankfully the day went on with its unexcited droll. The rain made for a sleepy atmosphere as the library was buttoned up for the night, but it was just fine with her.S he didn't have to deal with the rain yet, and she found the little romance novel Leon had once peeked over, intriguing. Romance novels were a guilty pleasure, one of many that she kept tucked close to her person. But if she could boast anything it was she was good at doing many things at once, so here she set about, mopping the floors of the library and reading about A Demon's Love at Sunset.
A strange story indeed, about some girl of no significance charming and taming a demon she accidentally 'woke up'. The difference in the characters personas was intriguing, and was definitely something better to distract her from what she was really doing-
Mopping the floor.
Noel actually licked his lips, keeping himself and Leon hidden in the shadow of a bookshelf as he looked the girl over. She really was cute, in a shy sort of way. Not usually his type, but...
"You don't make a move and I will," he murmured to Leon.
The shifter looked at him, entirely unimpressed. "I didn't want to "make a move". Are you happy now? We've seen her, let's just go-"
Without warning, Noel shoved him forward, sending him sprawling onto the open floor. "My word, dear brother!" he exclaimed, bending forward and offering a hand. "You're always such a klutz."
Leon, with a string of obscenities, smacked his hand away, blushing furiously. "I hate you." Noel smirked. He was just so easy to get a rise out of.
Had she been paying better attention,s he would have replied sooner, but being as she was nose deep in her novel, it was almost too late for her when the sudden banter of men took her off guard. For a moment, she found herself asking, "Are... are you alright?" Then furrowed her brow as she realized...
"You know,t he library is closed."
And as she looked at the poor man on the ground (probably having slipped on the newly mopped floor, she could have sworn it was the same strange gentleman from earlier.
"Oh, yeah, we know," Noel said with a grin, yanking Leon to his feet. His eyes wandered up and down her form, getting a good look at her. He'd been too angry with the other half-demon earlier to really appreciate the view. "But you see, my brother here just wanted to see you again-"
His breath whooshed out in an "Oof!" when Leon threw an elbow into his gut.
"Sorry," the cat shifter muttered, not quite meeting her eyes. "He dragged me in here. WE'll go now, didn't mean to bother you."
Artemis found herself just blinking, but relieved, a little when the man from earlier agreed they'd leave. However, that didn't fully dispel the blush on her cheeks, but now was hardly the appropriate time for any sort of conversation, especially one of an apparently flirtatious nature!
"The.. the door is up front," she said, pointing in that direction and hoping the pair would leave quickly, before realizing...
"How.... how did you both get in here with the door locked?" She moved to press at her sides, realizing hte key was still there before frowning. "I'll have to unlock the door for you."
"Can't tell you that, kitten," Noel crooned, stepping toward her. "Trade secret." He winked at her, grinning. His eyes followed the movements of her hands, completely unabashed.
For some reason, Leon found himself blushing. "Sorry about him," he muttered. With a shrug, he added, "Picked the lock. Wasn't too hard."
His brother rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. "Leon, do you not understand the idea of how enticing a little mystery can be?"
Artemis's eyes widened as she took a step back.
"So you're.. you're... thieves?"
"No!" Noel said with a reassuring smile at the same time his brother answered blandly, "Sometimes."
They glared at each other for a moment.
"We wouldn't dream of stealing from you," the older brother said after a moment, turning his most charming smile on the librarian.
She took another step back, fear keeping her tongue useless.
"Oh, don't be scared, sweetheart," Noel urged, taking a step toward her. "Look, we're harmless. Really."
"Leave the girl alone," Leon muttered, unconsciously moving to put his body between the girl and his brother.
Noel blinked at him surprised, and stopped in his tracks. Leon was a little shocked himself- this wasn't like him.
Artemis looked between the pair of them before realizing her next step had the back of her boot up against the mop bucket. She froze, then released a slow exhale.
"If.. if you two would be so kind as to leave here.... I.. I'd prefer there be no trouble." She bit her lip, looking around to see if anyone was nearby, but normally, she was the only one there working after hours.
"We're not trying to give ya trouble," Noel protested with another charming grin, leaning around Leon.
The younger brother shook his head. "Sorry to bother you, we're leaving," he mumbled, moving to go.
"Hold on." Noel's hand flicked out and snatched the girl's book. "Whatcha got here." He saw the title and his eyes widened, then he started to laugh. "Oh boy. Leon, look at this." He held the book out, chuckling.
Artemis gasped and promptly blushed, not believing the man was making such a big deal about the book- but even she knew such a book was a guilty pleasure.
"Please don't tear it! It's property of the library!"
"Aw, I'm not gonna hurt it, love," Noel assured her with a grin, waving the book in front of his brother's face.
Leon blinked, and the title suddenly registered. He couldn't help giving a quick bark of laughter, but he sobered quickly, pushing Noel's arm away. "C'mon, just give it back. What's it matter?"
"This the kind of book you like then, huh?" the other half-demon said, looking at the girl. Completely ignoring him. "Oh boy then do I have a treat for you-"
"Noel!" Leon smacked him upside the head, glaring. In a quick movement, he snatched the book from his hand and held it out to the girl with a muttered, "Sorry about him."
Artemis had no idea how to even respond to that, but she was pretty sure her entire face was scarlet. It took her a moment to register Leon was returning the book. She took it swiftly and looked away. "Thank you." And she stood there awkwardly a moment before saying, "But you.. you two really aren't allowed to be in here..."
She knew she couldn't get them out by force, but she wasn't sure she had the nerve to call out for a city guard.
"We're not doing any harm, darlin'," Noel coaxed, leaning toward her a bit. "C'mon, can't y make an exception, just this once?"
Leon huffed, looking away. For some reason, this particular whim of his brother's was irritating him more than usual. "Gods, will you just leave the girl alone?"
Neol rocked back on his heels, eyeing Leon sidelong. A smirk spread across his face. "Why, baby brother, is that you staking a claim?"
Leon flushed, glowering at him. "Shut. Up."
Of course, he was ignored. Turning back to the librarian, Noel said in a loud whisper, "See, it's not like him to take such an interest. You must be something pretty special, sweetheart."
Artemis had had enough. She felt more than a little awkward here and she tried to muster up the courage to kick them out.
"I'll ask you again," she went on, voice shaking. "Please leave the library. Visiting hours do not come again until tomorrow morning, when the sun begins to rise."
Leon had had enough. Grabbing Noel by the scruff of the neck, he muttered, "We're going, we're going," and began towing him toward the door.
Of course he didn't shut up the whole time.
"Oi, get off- Maybe we'll see you around sometime- ow! Damnit Leon!"
Artemis froze stock still, and kept her gaze on the pair as they headed for the door. Thank the Gods at least one of them listened, and she felt a little shaky for the experience. She was never any good around good looking men, and those two, while good looking, also had her in a very awkward situation. Being alone, after hours, and in the dark (so late at night)... it was hardly comforting, and she had read more than once in her novels that bad things happen to the sweet girls who walk home alone late at night!
Before she hadn't thought muhc of it, but now she truly dreaded her walk home alone. Normally the streets were vacant. Maybe if she left later than planned, the pair of brothers would be long gone and out of sight.
The only way Leon had been able to get his brother to stop his bitching was to drag him to a tavern. Where of course they were immediately accosted by a flock of serving girls batting their eyes and to all appearances looking for trouble.
Of course, Noel was happy to oblige them. The librarian nearly forgotten, he talked and flirted and drank, paying little attention to his brother tucked away in a back corner nursing a single mug of ale.
Leon shook his head with a soft sigh, fidgeting. He hated the crowds, but if it kept Noel occupied he'd put up with it. He couldn't help looking to the door every few minutes though, ears perked and stance wary. One of them had to be on guard.
Hours passed and finally the library was mopped. The floor positively shined, or so she hoped, and with little reluctance, she was ready to go home and discarded her mop in the back. Key in hand, she locked the door, but not before checking to ensure nothing (or no one) suspicious was nearby. As usual, the streets around here were empty. There was a tight curfew, so little got pass the guards.
That was one thing the war did bring about- safer travel within the city. She had much less fear now than she had years ago, and now with only one thought in mind, she took to the cobblestone streets, not dawdling, towards her home.
Noel spotted a slight figure moving down the street and a broad grin stretched across his face. "Oi. Leon." He rapped his knuckles on the top of his brother's head. "Look."
Leon glared, shifting so Noel's arm was more securely across his shoulders. Being half-demons, it took copious amounts of alcohol to get them drunk. That never seemed to stop his brother though, so here he was hauling his ass back to the inn they were staying at. "I hate you," he mumbled.
"No really, look. You won't believe who it is."
With a sigh, the shifter glanced up. And groaned. "No. No. Gods above, the poor girl's had a bad enough day as it is. Just leave her be."
Noel pouted at him. "Aw, come on, it's not like we hurt her or anything. And look at her, all defenseless and alone. If she'd not careful someone with less noble intentions than the two of us might stumble across her." That seemed like a perfectly valid argument to him, but Leon just shook his head and started dragging him in the other direction, muttering insults under his breath.
Artemis was none the wiser the two men were nearby. She had one thought and one thought only, to get home! And when her mind was focused on something, it was almost as if she had blinders on. But even she could only stay on the cobblestone for so long. It was quicker to walk through the park towards the lower end of town. Though it had rained some and the ground was squishy, she paid little attention to it and continued on her way across the grasses.
Leon sighed. Of course. It was just his luck. It seemed that the girl lived in the same direction he and Noel were heading.
Clamping a hand over his brother's mouth, he set off, doing his best to move quietly and in shadow so she wouldn't see them and think they were following her.
...Although he supposed the whole sneaking around thing was rather incriminating if she did happen to catch sight of them. Wow, he just couldn't win today.
Across the park she went and over the bridge, pausing only momentarily to look up at the moon. Below, it glittered as a reflection across the matron river, and reminded her that, despite the strange occurrences that had happened today, all was right with the world-
So long as she stayed within the city.
They'd reached the bridge when Noel's vision started to blur at the edges. "Oh. Uh, hey, little brother, don't want to bother you, but-"
His knees buckled and he dropped with a sharp thump. He heard Leon curse as he dragged the other man down with him, and thought he was muttering something along the lines of "told you that you'd had too much."
He grinned in the direction of Leon's voice, shrugging. "Can't help myself, you know that."
Leon snorted, trying to haul him to his feet. "Yeah, and you think I'm the one who needs looking after." He cast a quick glance around, hoping no one had noticed them. Noel wasn't exactly being quiet.
Artemis froze. Had she heard something.. someone? She hesitated before looking behind her, calling over the rise in the bridge.
"Hello? Is someone there?"
Leon winced. Shit. He tried dragging Noel backward, away from the girl, but-
"Don't mind us!" Noel called back, staggering to his feet and using the rail of the bridge to keep himself upright. Leon dropped his head into his hands with a growl. "Be about your business, nothing to see here!"
His brother swayed and sat down again heavily, once again dragging Leon with him with a small "Oof."
The voices sounded familiar, and when curiously she crossed the bridge again, she gasped- and was too stunned to offer help at first, as she contemplated accusing them of stalking her!
Leon met the girl's eyes with an apologetic grimace. "I swear we're not following you," he mumbled, staggering slightly under Noel's weight.
"Of course we're not!" his brother exclaimed, gesturing wildly. "It is fate, written in the stars- you know, all that sappy romantic shit, like in that book of yours." He gave the mousy librarian what he thought was a charming grin, but he was honestly a bit to inebriated to really tell.
Artemis was taken back, and though she really, really wanted to get home- apart of her couldn't help but ask, "Hey.. do you need a help with your friend?"
She hoped and prayed he said no, but the man looked bad, staggering on his feet.
"I'm fine!" Noel protested, swaying on his feet.
Hating to admit it, Leon gave the girl a long-suffering look. "Er, actually...if you wouldn't mind..." He cleared his throat and dropped his eyes. "Yeah, some help would be appreciated. I just need to get him back to the inn..."
Frozen that the response was yet, she forced a smile and mousily made her way towards them. Hesitantly, she took a spot on the other side of Noel and gave Leon a look.
"Which inn?"
He frowned. "Ah...I don't remember the name. There was a red horse on the sign..." He shrugged helplessly, shifting Noel so his brother's weight was more on his side.
For his part, Noel suddenly found the girl tucked against his side and was quite content with this turn of events, so for the first time that evening he shut up.
"You smell nice."
Well, he almost shut up.
Leon rolled his eyes. "Please don't mind him. He's...very drunk." He probably wouldn't be behaving too differently if that weren't the case, but she didn't need to know that.
Artemis shifted uncomfortably at the comment, and peered over at Leon when he said he was drunk.
"That much I can smell," she muttered with a frown. But hten she perked up. "So you said a sign with a red horse? That must be Baker's place, the Red Horse Inn..." she shrugged. "So suitably named. It's not too far from here." She frowned, her lips tightening into a thoughtful line. "But we'll have to go back through the park."
Leon sighed. "Of course we will." Huffing, he adjusted his grip on Noel. "Lead the way then. I apparently don't know where I'm going."
Noel chuckled, reaching up sloppily to ruffle his hair. He glowered, trying to duck away from his hand but only able to get so far with his arm around his shoulders.
Artemis did her best to ignore the awkwardness of this situation, and helped guide Noel along. And each step she was wishing would go faster, bringing them to their destination when Artemis felt her boot slip on the wet grass- and down she went, falling right onto Noel's lap.
"Ouff!"
"Gods damnit!"
There was a bit of a domino effect, the end result being that Noel was sprawled half on top of his brother and suddenly found himself with a pretty girl in his lap. Moving almost by muscle memory he wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her up against his chest. "I gotta say, darlin', that's pretty forward of you," he chuckled. "But, if you give me a minute to ditch Leon-"
"Fuck you," Leon growled, squirming out from under him and scrambling to his feet, hackles raised and eyes snapping. He let out a low, almost-snarling sound when he saw what Noel was doing. "Gods. Let her go, would you?"
And all Artemis could do- was stare.
Noel completely ignored his brother. The girl wasn't struggling, so his drunken mind decided pushing his luck would be a good idea. He dipped his head to nuzzle into the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply.
His eyes flared and a soft rumbling started up in his chest. He could practically taste her tension, though there was a hint of fear that made him wrinkle his nose. "You really do smell nice," he murmured distractedly. "Good enough to eat..."
With a low, feral growl Leon reached down and wrenched the girl out of his brother's arms, putting her behind him protectively. "You need to sober up," he snapped, practically vibrating with irritation.
Too stunned to react, she felt herself being freed roughly by the other brother, who she simply stared at, slack jawed. When any sense returned to her, she felt her face flush as she looked away from the pair.
"Per. perhaps I should find someone else to assist you to your Inn."
Because she feared a heart attack, other wise!
Leon sighed, running his hand down his face. "No need. Look, just point us in the right direction and we'll get out of your hair," he muttered. It was only then he realized he was still holding her arm and released his grip as suddenly as if he'd been burned.
"I make no such promises," Noel mumbled, staggering to his feet. Leon glowered at him. If he went down again, he had half a mind to just leave his brother in the street.
Artemis nodded, feeling guilty, but too out of her element here.
"I... I'm sorry I can't be of any more assistance. I do have to work early too."
And she bit her lip, wondering if that was a bad thing to mention.
Leon blinked at her, bewildered. "Why the hell are you apologizing?" he asked incredulously. "We're the ones who've been giving you a hard time." Unintentionally- at least on his part- but still.
Noel latched onto the second piece of what she'd said. "Work early, huh?" He flashed a grin. "Maybe we'll have to pay another visit to the library."
Leon shot a glare at him. "Good luck. You're going to be sleeping that hangover off for a couple days," he snapped.
Artemis flushed.
"I... I guess this is goodbye then." She went on awkwardly. "But ... oh! You still need directions?"
She forgot they were lost, too!
Leon actually blushed a bit, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Uh, yeah. If you wouldn't mind," he mumbled.
"Well, you see that street over there? IT's West Jefferson. Take that down to Adella Lane, then a left onto... Pontus Street.. I believe and hrm.. maybe it was Pointer's Avenue... well, I think it began with a P... But er...a nyways, two more turns, a left and right, will have you at Jacob's Avenue, and you take that to the end and uh.. your place is on the left."
She hoped. It was a lot harder doing it from memory than actually moving through the route herself!
"Right. Thanks," Leon said with a sharp nod. Looping Noel's arm over his shoulder, he started off.
Then he paused. Glancing back at the girl, he found himself mumbling, "Uh, you know... I- ahem- I kinda like libraries. If- if this one promised to behave...do you think you'd let us come back?"
Noel laughed and he winced. Great. What was he doing? He sounded like an idiot.
Artemis blinked, then fully realized what he was saying.
"Oh I... I don't have a say in that and... well, it's my boss and he- well.. what you two did after hours hasn't been reported so er.." she raked a hand nervously against her arm. "Really.. anyone can go to the library unless you're personally thrown out..."
Which she had only seen once.
For the first time that night Leon gave her a real smile. "So...you're not going to report us then?" Well, she's at least implies as much, hadn't she?
Artemis stood there, then shook her head.
"No....." She blushed, then shook her head again. "Not this time."
"We appreciate that, sweetheart," Noel slurred before Leon clapped his hand over his mouth.
"Thanks," the shifter murmured, giving her a nod and another small, quick smile before hauling his brother off toward the inn.
She breathed a lot easier once the pair were out of sight. Though as she turned to walk home, she found herself smiling a little. At least the one brother seemed civilized. And why was it that he asked about being able to return? Did he like libraries that much or...?
She bit her lip and shook away the idea.
A silly idea. She had just met them. Surely no man would, after seeing her just once, would be so eager as to wish to see her again so soon and int he same manner. This she took to bed with her, flopping around until she finally was able ot get just a few hours of sleep.
While Noel passed out almost the instant his brother hauled him onto his bed, Leon found he couldn't get to sleep until closer to dawn. For one thing, their room only had one bed, so while his brother snoozed off his drunkenness he was left on the floor.
He always had a hard time sleeping in human form, but it was too risky to take his cat shape in Connlaoth. Someone might walk in on them, scream about magic, and then they'd be in real trouble.
So when Noel woke the next morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed, his demonic metabolism having burned through the alcohol in his system, he laughed to find Leon curled in a cramped little ball in the corner of the room. "Hey, little brother! Rise and shine," he called, smirking.
Leon groaned, rolling over to put his back to him. "Go fuck yourself."
"No time for that." Noel bounded out of the bed and grabbed his arm, hauling him to his feet. "You've got a library date, remember?"
SHe was late! ANd could have kicked herself for it, as her boss did not let it drop all day. She was forced to work in the back, and only when she was done organizing the return list was she allowed out from the basement. But half a day had gone by and hse needed a break. She was allowed it and desperately she scrambled to get outside, and sat by the fountain nearby. Though she hadn't a lunch to eat (she never did) just being outside, for evne a few minutes, at least reminded her she wasn't some crazy person working in the dusty basement of a library for almost five hours straight.
It was about midday by the time Leon and Noel actually made it out of their inn. Trying to seem nonchalant about it, Leon gradually directed them toward the library.
Noel knew what his brother was doing, and while he did give him a bit of a hard time about it, honestly he was intrigued. It was fascinating to watch Leon so captivated by a simple mortal girl.
And speak of the devil. They didn't even have to go into the library to find her, she was sitting near a fountain outside. Smirking, he slid up beside her. "Hey there, sweetheart. Miss me?"
Leon shoved a hand in his face and pushed him away. "Sorry," he muttered to the young woman, almost a reflex at this point.
Gasping,s he jerked away out of reflex, but when Leon put his brother in his place, she sighed with some relief.
"Oh, I..." she shook her head. "You just startled me is all... DId you both come from the library? I.. er, sorry I wasn't inside I... had some work to do in the basement." Her eyes dropped to the cobblestone. "And seems I'll be there for most of the day."
But hten she realized, this wasn't about her anyway and perked up.
"But if you need help, I can at least point you int he right direction for what you may be looking for. I know the library inside and out, and though it's large and daunting, it's not too hard to navigate once you understand the system and how thigns are coded and placed."
"No, we actually just got here," Leon told her. He saw the way her eyes dropped and tilted his head. "We didn't, um...you aren't in trouble or something, because of us, are you?"
The thought made him feel guilty. It was a feeling he didn't experience often, and he wasn't a fan.
"Clever little thing, aren't ya?" Noel praised when she claimed to know the library inside and out, ignoring his brother's question.
"Oh, no! IT wasn't that I... er.." she wrung her hands. "I was just a bit late... But work is work, right?" And she tried to smile about it. No need to worry them! Of course, she ignored Noel's comment.
Leon frowned a bit, his eyes flicking toward the library. "I suppose. That boss of yours seemed like a real piece of work."
"You're on a break then?" Noel asked, plopping down beside her without preamble. Leon scowled and folded his arms, but other than squeezing himself in between them there wasn't really a lot he could do, and he wasn't that irritated.
Yet.
Taken back by Noel's sudden appearance so close to her, she hesitated before replying, "Er... yes." But hten added quickly, "But only a short one."
"Pity." Mismatched eyes glinted at her. "Seeing as you know the town so well, and you were so accommodating before, I was gonna ask if you wouldn't mind being our guide." He shrugged, leaning back. "Maybe later."
"Maybe never," Leon snapped. With a sigh, he looked to the librarian. "I really am sorry about him. I promise he's not so bad once you get to know him." Speaking of... "I'm Leon, by the way," he said, just realizing that he'd never properly introduced himself. "The cretin is Noel."
"Oi," his brother protested mildly. "I prefer cad, if you must insult me."
Artemis blushed when she realized they hadn't known one another's names. Then again, introductions were unceremonious at best.
"Artemis," she said with a nod. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Though after she said it, she began to wonder if 'pleasure' was the right word for it.
"Likewise," both men said in unison, Noel with a cocky grin and Leon with a small, polite nod.
Of course, Noel couldn't stop himself from adding, "Though it'd been an even greater pleasure if-"
Leon clapped his hand over his brother's mouth. "That thing I said about him not being so bad once you get to know him? Yeah, it can take a while."
Her blush held strong through the boy's interactions as she gave a gentle shake of her head.
"I must admit, I am surprised I'm not entirely repulsed by the pair of your presence," she commented, a chuckle glowing in her eyes.
The brothers exchanged a quick look, then Noel smirked and said, "I suppose we'll take that as a compliment." She was pretty when she blushed, but even prettier with that playful sort of glint in her eyes. He shifted subtly closer to her, pressing his side against hers and throwing his brother a cocky look when the other half-demon huffed at him.
Artemis immediately stiffened at the man's presence. She herself couldn't deny he was handsome, as was his brother, but that's what made it doubly awkward.
"Er.." she shifted away, but only an inch, so as not to make it so obvious she'd rather not have him cuddled up beside her. "So like.. are you two just brothers.. or twins.. or...?"
They seemed pretty close, which was always nice to see in a family. She began to wonder if they had more family than the pair of them- but perhaps that question was best never asked. These two seemed trouble enough. Noel especially.
"Brothers," they responded in unison, then exchanged a quick look.
"Half brothers, technically," Noel said, giving her a quick smile. "Most people assume we're twins, but I'm a whole week older."
Leon snorted and rolled his eyes. "And he clings to that like a life raft," he informed Artemis wryly, shooting Noel a dry look.
"So.. like... half twins?" she responded with a small smirk.
Noel laughed and Leon snorted, rolling his eyes. "I've never thought of it that way, but yes, I suppose so," the older brother chuckled.
Shaking his head, Leon finally gave in to the urging in the back of his mind and sat on Artemis's other side, though he gave her more space than Noel. "I don't think that's really a thing," he pointed out with an arched eyebrow.
Noel shrugged. "Sure it is! Little Miss Librarian says so." He flashed a bright grin at the young woman.
She tried to hide her smile behind a hand, but she couldn't lie Noel's playfulnes was infectious. He really did look nice when he grinned. But she shook her head anyway, saying, "I was just being playful,...although I've known some half-siblings who were at war with one another. It's nice to see you two act like family."
Even the fighting, she supposed, was a bit endearing. She did, after all, bicker with her own younger sisters- and older brother too.
"Oh believe me, we've got plenty of other half-sibs we don't get along with," Noel said with an only slightly bitter chuckle. Leon shot him a look, a little surprised he'd even shared that much. It wasn't like him.
"You got family then?" he asked, steering them away from that topic before she asked a question they couldn't answer. "Brothers and sisters I mean."
Artemis smiled as she turned to Leon.
"Oh yes. I have quite a large family, actually, an older brother, and three younger sisters. And the younger ones are quite a handful, I assure you."
Noel snorted. "Don't I know it. Being the older sibling is rough." Without looking Leon reached around and thumped the back of his head.
"No parents?" he asked softly, brow furrowing a bit.
"Oh! Why yes, I do. Both of my parents are alive and... er, as well as they can be." And awkwardly, she tucked some hair behind her ear. She didn't feel it was appropriate to go spewing to these two men how sick her parents had been. It wasn't their problem, and she'd rather not tell more than she had to about that.
"What about you two? Do you stay close with your parents?"
Both of them stiffened a bit at that, an instinctive reaction to the mention of their parents. "Not...really," Leon said slowly.
"Our father's sort of a bastard," Noel explained conversationally. "Not much fun to be around. and our mothers..." He shrugged, frowning, and glanced away.
"We aren't really close," Leon supplied a little awkwardly.
She went quiet as well, shuffling her feet awkwardly.
"Well.." she went on with a sigh, rising from the stone wall around the fountain. "It was nice talking to you both, but I should be heading back to work now."
Noel found himself surprised at the little pang of disappointment. "Right, of course," he said graciously, standing as well with Leon a beat behind.
"Er, look. Artemis," the younger brother said suddenly, shifting a little awkwardly. "What time do you get off work? We could...walk you home. It's not really safe for a woman to be alone at night." He'd been thinking it since they'd stumbled across her the previous night, and now for some reason he just couldn't keep quiet about it.
"I work the whole day until sunset, why?" But upon hearing his suggestion,s he blinked, blushing and shook her head. "Oh, you don't have to worry about me. The streets are safe, always patrolled by soldiers since the war." She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Beside I wouldn't want to be an inconvenience."
"It's really not an inconvenience," Noel leaped to assure her. Then he added with a winning smile, "Besides, we do kinda owe you for helping us out last night when I was drunk off my ass."
Leon rolled his eyes and muttered, "Charming, Noel. Just...charming."
"Er.. but no, really, you don't have to. In fact.. I'd rather you not," she admitted with a frown. "I do work a long day and I'm sure you both have better things to do with your time."
"We really don't," Noel said with a grin, evidently unwilling to take no for an answer. Rolling his eyes, Leon laid a hand on his brother's shoulder and looked at Artemis.
"If that's what you want," he said slowly, shrugging. He couldn't ignore the niggling worry in his chest though- it didn't make any sense, but it was there.
"I did have a nice time with you both." she went on, inching her way towards the library before she bowed her head to them. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your day."
And she didn't wait for them to start a conversation to make her distracted, as she turned and began to walk, with some haste, back into the library. Back to work.
Leon murmured a goodbye and watched her go, grabbing Noel's arm when he started after her. "Leave her be," he said quietly. "She's better off without us mucking up her life."
His brother arched an eyebrow at him. "Since when did you get so selfless?" he asked, but subsided, allowing Leon to tug him away.
The shifter shrugged and walked in silence, trying to put the pretty little librarian from his mind.
Back to work and back to the dungeon, she thought she was done with her basement work for sure. Turns out there was whole other section of the subterranean library that needed some organizing and her boss thought she was just perfect for the job.
Though she didn't mind working with books, and ones so unique and old as the ones she was handling now, but it was awfully chilly in the basement, the books awful dusty, her nose running too much, her eyes itchy and watery after each sneezing fit and well-
No windows to indicate what time it was and how long she'd been down there.
She had gone to check, and was crestfallen to find out only half an hour had passed! With a grim look, she returned back into the cellar, and sighed infront of the endless wall of books.
"Guess it's time to get back to work..." she muttered. Organizing took a lot of work-
and she was only on the letter C.
Wondering around the town did little to take Leon's mind off the girl, and somehow the brother's found themselves back in front of the library as the sun was starting to set.
"Well...she can't really fault us if we actually want to check out a book," Noel noted. Leon shrugged and nodded, and without a word marched inside.
Both brothers sort of glanced around furtively, hoping Artemis's boss wouldn't recognize them and toss them out.
If Artemis's boss had recognized them, he didn't react. He was too busy playing kiss up to some noble's ass who was looking around for a particular book but couldn't recall the title. However, if they were looking for Artemis, she was still well out of sight, tucked below the library and finally finishing up and beginning on the D's.
Noel trailed behind Leon as they wandered around the library, for once out of his element while his younger brother was perfectly at ease. "Where are we going?"
"Not sure." Leon sniffed the air. "I'm just following her scent." They came to a door and the shifter paused. Wherever this led his senses told him Artemis was certainly there.
He furrowed his brow. "This...is basically stalking, isn't it?" He took a step back, shaking his head. For all his intentions to just leave the girl alone, he kept finding himself trailing after her.
Noel shrugged. "Sure it is. But that's sorta what we do, little brother. We're hunters."
And just as they would have reached the cellar door, they'd hear something down below and a curse. Artemis had accidentally knocked over a very large pile of books. And as she was beginning to sift through them, repiling them around her, she paused when a book opened an eye to look at her. And she stared at it, before her mouth fell open- and she screamed.
Well. That did it.
Leon and Noel burst through the door and tore down the stairs, the shifter's senses leading them unerringly to the distressed librarian.
"What happened, are you alright?" Noel asked, gravitating toward Artemis while his eyes flickered around warily. Leon had sunk into a crouch beside them, a low growl building in his throat as he searched the gloom around them.
Artemis stumbled back, tripping over a book and falling right into Noel. She was about to scream, but when she recognized Noel, her eyes went wide.
"N... Noel!" And then she turned quickly towards the pile of books. "One of the books!" she stammered. "It.. it has eyes."
Or well, at least one eye!
Noel's arms came around her automatically, holding her protectively against his chest. "Eyes?" he repeated, eyebrows going up. "Which one?"
Leon knelt next to the pile and sniffed at it warily, prodding a few of the spines to see if they would react.
She pointed to a pile behind Leon, and to his left. Her hand was shaking.
"Th-there! The one bound in pale leather!"
And it infact, did house an eye, one blood shot, with veiny like bulges across the surface of the leather around it that seemed to pulsate with life.
Leon turned to see where she was pointing- and hissed, catlike, startled. "What the bloody hell..." he muttered, cautiously poking at the tome.
"Is that a good idea?" Noel said incredulously, backing up a step and putting Artemis behind him protectively.
"What.. what is it?" she asked, clinging onto Noel's arm, her voice a little shaky. "Is it..." ANd her voice lowered. "Is it some sort of magic book?" And at the very idea she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise, but a chill coursed through her vein colder than the one before when the eye of the book turned to look right at her.
"Must be," Noel muttered, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the thing. He growled low in his throat when the eye swiveled toward Artemis.
"What do we do with it?" Leon asked, poking at the thing warily. It felt...odd. His hackles raised and gave a low yowling sound.
"Do?" she could have fainted at the idea of even touching the thing again! She still clung to Noel, shifting a bit awkwardly. "We.. well, we have to tell someone about it."
THough at the idea, she wilted a little. It looked like another late night for her!
Leon frowned at that and suddenly shook his head. "No," he said firmly, looking up at his brother and Artemis.
Slowly, Noel nodded, realizing the shifter's train of thought. "With how crazy everyone is about magic around here, they might accuse you of being a mage just for finding it," he said to the librarian. "We'll have to just get rid of it somehow..."
ARtemis gasped and looked between the two brothers.
"Me being a mage?" Really, she could have fainted. "What on earth... but I..." her throat went dry, she found it hard to swallow. She looked around nervously. "But how..."
And she lowered her voice a bit more, looking around to see if anyone else was present. "How could we... should we get rid of it? And my boss... I... he might notice if it's missing. I.. I was the one sent down here to organize this stuff."
"We'll take care of it," Leon said automatically, wanting to reassure her. He wasn't exactly sure how though.
"Yeah." Noel gave her a crooked smile. "That way you can blame us if your boss gets on your case, say we stole it or something."
Artemis was taken back.
"What? No! I couldn't do that!"
Both brothers looked at her, startled by her vehemence. "Why not?" Leon asked, brow furrowed in confusion.
Shaking her head, she said, "I couldn't let you get in trouble because of me." And she looked around, still curious no one else had heard her scream. But then she heard something move, and leaped when she thought she saw it was the book. "Gods.. what... is that thing alive?" She asked, clinging to Noel still and whimpering.
Leon saw the thing twitch out of the corner of his eye and recoiled, hissing at it. Noel wrapped his arms securely around Artemis and murmured, "Shh, shh, it's alright," petting her hair soothingly.
"Do you have a bag?" Leon asked, not taking his eyes off the book. "We need to pick it up, but I don't really want to touch it directly."
Artemis shook her head.
"All I have are the few carts they provided me with." She wrung her hands. "Shouldn't we tell someone? What if..."
SHe didn't even want to finish that thought.
Noel squeezed her shoulder gently. "I really don't think that's a good idea, sweetheart," he murmured. Then added with a shrug, "But if you really think we should, Leon and I can't exactly stop you."
Not strictly true, but she didn't need to know that. "Here." He pulled away from her to strip his shirt off and toss it to his brother. "Use that."
Leon caught it with a nod and a small eye roll, bending to wrap the fabric around the book.
And once she realized Noel was shirtless, she was less inclined to cling to him again,a nd averted any gazing at his bare chest.
"Once the book's picked up..t hen what? I think this is a bad -" And she gasped, watching as the book suddenly toppled away from Leon and skid to a halt beside Artemis's skirts. Involuntarily, she clung to Noel again before the eye shot it's gaze to her again. And this time, she felt herself unable to look away from it's terrifying gaze.
Old chants drummed inside her head, and images she couldn't even begin to describe rolled through her head, and before she realized it, the book suddenly closed it's eyes-
and she fainted.
"Artemis!" The shout came from both brothers, Noel catching her as she fell and Leon lunging forward to pounce on the book, wrapping the shirt around it roughly and thing it shut.
He turned to the other two, Noel kneeling with Artemis cradled to his chest. He let out a quiet sigh of relief when he saw she was breathing. Vindictively kicking the book away, he shifted closer so both young men had their head bent over her in concern.
"Artemis?" Leon said softly, reaching up to touch her shoulder.
Noel smoothed some hair off her face. "Hey, can you hear us, sweetheart?"
Despite their attempts, the young woman didn't move, only breathed.
"Come on," Noel grunted, slipping his arm under her knees and standing so she was cradled against his chest. "Let's get her outside. Maybe some fresh air..."
Leon nodded and shot a disgruntled look at the wrapped book, but bent to pick it up anyway, following his brother as they made their way back up the stairs into the library. "You have any idea what the hell just happened?" he grumbled, hiding his worry with irritation.
Noel shook his head, glancing down at the unconscious girl in his arms. His heart lurched uncomfortably. "No. But we'd better figure it out."
And it was about that time Artemis's boss saw the two men from before carrying a very unconscious Artemis. He approached in a huff, demanding, "What is the meaning of this? Guards! GUARDS! We have two intruders, trying to steal our books and a librarian!"
And the guards on post out front turned their way, and began to make haste in their direction.
"Oh, fuck," Leon muttered.
"Wait, wait!" Noel protested, backing up a step. "She fainted, we're just trying to get her outside, some fresh air you know?"
Leon handed him the wrapped book, tucking it between his body and Artemis. He really didn't want the thing anywhere near her, but he didn't see many other options if they were going to have to fight their way out of this, as was looking more and more likely.
"Fainted? Ha! And you don't think you're responsible? What were you doing down there anyway? That place is for employees only! GUARDS!" And soon the guards were upon them.
"Take these men away, the woman too! THrow them int he jail for trespassing and stealing. And question Miss Longfellow when she awakens!"
The guards nodded and made their way after the brothers.
The brothers exchanged a look, then nodded. Without a word, Leon leaped forward and changed, clothes tearing as his body shifted from man to cat. He bowled them over, howling and slashing, and Noel used the distraction to race for the door, jumping down the steps in one bound and taking off down the street.
Leon hung back, swiping and snarling at the guards, holding them off as long as he could to give Noel and Artemis time to get away.
Artemis only began to awaken during Noel's mid-run flee, but her eyes never opened, rather she began to murmur incoherent nothings, words that sounded an awful lot like demon speak.
Noel almost tripped over his feet, glancing down at the girl in surprise. What the hell? Was that-?
They didn't have time to think about it. He veered off down an alley, pausing for a moment to catch his breath and wait for Leon to catch up.
The shifter followed their scent easily, dashing through town and down the alley without- miraculously- attracting too much attention. He was sure the guards would be after them once they regrouped though. He huffed at Noel, a little concerned that Artemis hadn't woken.
"Come on, maybe we can get back to the inn without being noticed," his brother murmured, setting off again with the cat at his heels.
The guards made chase, but the others were farther ahead of them. Although they did call out for more guards. After all, seeing such magic as a transformation from a man into a large cat of all things was enough of a crime to label them all mages. Artemis still seemed none the wiser, fast asleep, mumbling nothings.
Slipping through back alleys, the brothers managed to somehow arrive at the Red Horse Inn without being spotted. They crept around to the back of the building- where thankfully their room was located- and snuck inside. Hurrying to the room they'd been staying in, Noel moved to the bed and laid Artemis down, tossing the damned book onto the floor and shoving it away with his foot.
"She better wake up soon," Leon muttered, shifting back to human form and looking her over with concern. "It won't take the guards long to start searching buildings." Then her mumblings caught his attention and his eyes widened. "Is- is that-?"
Noel nodded, frowning. "I think it is. It's a dialect I don't recognize though, I'm only getting every other word." Still, it was undeniably demon speak.
Leon's eyes flicked to the book. What the hell was that thing?
And undisturbed the book, and sleeping Artemis would remain. She did appear feverish, though had no fever or chills as she lay there. If conventional means didn't seem to wake her, it was a wonder what would.
Leon found himself sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning over the girl, paying little mind to his state of undress. "Artemis?" he shook her shoulder lightly. "Hey, c'mon. Wake up."
Nothing.
Noel slipped around to perch at her other side, brow furrowing in concern. "Oi, sweetheart. We've gotta move, come on." He patted the side of her face lightly.
She stirred, murmuring, eyes moving beneath her lids. But when they opened, a red light burned within the chocolate brown depths of her eyes.
Both brothers recoiled from her, startled. Leon hissed, his hackles raising instinctively.
"Artemis?" Noel probed cautiously, reaching out to cup her face in his hands and peering into her eyes. "Hey, sweetheart, can you hear me?"
And she looked at him, eyes searching deep into his before fingers softly caressed his cheek. And again, soft words in demon tongue came forth-
Words along the lines of awakened, hungry and free.
Noel shuddered at her touch, leaning away. A low, continuous growl was emanating from Leon's chest.
When she spoke again, both of them stiffened. "That...does not sound good," the older brother muttered. Clearing his throat, he met Artemis'- or, more likely, whatever was speaking through her- eyes and demanded, "What are you?"
And she smiled, the red glow of her eyes sparkling like fire before she cupped his cheek and leaned forward, drinking of his lips.
His eyes went wide and he froze for a moment, utterly stunned. Then a low growling sound rose up in his throat and he kissed her back, wrapping an arm around her waist to draw her closer.
Hell, where was the harm, right?
Leon disagreed. Hissing, he gripped his brother's shoulder and jerked him back, putting another hand out to hold Artemis in place. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" he growled out, practically seeing red. "Something is wrong with her."
Noel threw his hands up, shaking his head and blinking. "Yeah, alright, alright. Okay, sorry. I'm good now." He licked his lips, eyeing the librarian. "Seriously- are you a spirit or something? Were you trapped in the book?"
"I don't care what the hell you are," Leon snarled, leaning in close to her, mismatched eyes snapping with rage. "Leave. Her. Alone."
But Artemis only smiled, much like a cat in the cream, and moved a hand forward, stroking it up Leon's arms before pulling it forward, and letting her lips stroke over his pulse. It was moving so fast. And it sensed the demon blood. A low growl emitted from her throat, and suddenly she bit into his wrist, aiming to draw blood.
Leon's eyes widened at the touch and he found himself suddenly incapable of pulling away. Then she bit him- actually bit him- and he let out a sharp cry, recoiling. "What the hell?!"
"Hey!" Noel lunged forward and tried to pry her off his brother, protective instincts kicking into high gear.
The fact he didn't resist at first, had not expected it, was all she needed to gather enough force to really dig her teeth in. And she could taste it, really taste it as she howled against his flesh, and began to suck on his blood, eyes rolling back at the sensations that began to burn within.
And the words she uttered in demon were just that...
"Demon."
Hissing and snarling, Leon panicked and his body reacted instinctively, shifting from human to cat. It was just enough of a change for him to get he leverage to jerk away from her and he skittered back, the fur along his spine raising as he growled, tail lashing back and forth and eyes narrowed.
He was wobbly on his feet though, already woozy from blood loss. What the hell?
Noel took advantage of the moment of surprise to dart forward and grabbed the girl's shoulders, pinning her down to the bed while he arched over her, growling. "Touch my brother again and I swear I'll rip you're damned throat out." For a moment he forgot there was still an innocent girl caught up in all this.
But she only lay there, smiling through bloodied lips and teeth. And it was a sultry look, as her hand, still coated in Leon's blood, moved forward to stroke his cheek.
Noel whipped his head back with a snarl. "Don't touch me," he ground out, grabbing her wrist and pinning it to the bed above her head.
Without taking his eyes off her, he snapped, "Leon- find that book and shred it."
The cat growled and nodded, warily stalking across the room to where the bundled book had been tossed across the floor.
At his command, her face changed greatly, wrinkling into madness as she let out a howl- and a strength unlike her, she moved to throw Noel across the room. The book would be hers!
Taken by surprise, Noel flew clear across the room and hit the wall, slumping to the ground, dazed. Leon let out a yowl and started toward his brother, then growled in frustration and changed direction, leaping for the book.
Taking his human form just before his paws hit the bundle, he shot to his feet and tossed the cloth aside, raising the book over his head and gripping it by the binding, pages falling open. "Stand down or I rip the damn thing in half," he snarled at the thing using Artemis's body.
Artemis moved like a cat herself, crawling forward before stepping off the bed. Her posture was peculiar, not very human like- or not very like the innocent girl she actually was. Her smile was also hideous. But she raised a hand, one that was still stained with his blood, and she pointed at him, eyes crazed and Leon might feel a strange pulling as Artemis curled her finger, beckoning him forth. The blood she had taste of him....
She was trying to use it against him, to manipulate the demon before her-
and to get her sweet, precious book.
And in demon tongue, she spoke.
"Come."
Quite against his will, Leon found himself taking a step forward. Then another. "What the- stop that!" he shouted at Artemis. "Whatever you're doing, stop it!"
Groaning, Noel blinked and blearily focused on his brother and the librarian. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew Leon wasn't moving toward her of his own free will- his gait lacked his usual grace, jerky and resistant.
Pushing himself to his feet, he stumbled forward, staggering to stand in front of Leon and shoving his hands into his chest. "Come on, fight it," he growled, feeling blood trickle from a cut on the side of his head he must have gotten when he hit the wall.
And that's when Artemis turned to Noel, and in demon tongue, she beckoned,
"Bring."
Gesturing in a way that indicated she wanted Leon to bring his brother to her.
Before either brother really knew what was happening, Leon had grabbed Noel's wrists and pinned his hands behind his back, the book tucked safely under his other arm.
"What the hell?" Noel shouted, twisting to break free. Normally he could have done so easily- Leon was stronger than most people, but not Noel- but for somehow the shifter's strength seemed to have doubled.
with jerky steps, Leon shoved him forward, shuffling along behind him. "What are you- Damnit, Leo, fight it!"
"I'm trying!" His brother sounded panicky.
Her eyes sparkled with delight, a hand extended as Noel was being brought towards her. And she reached for his hand, his wrist, and stroked her lips against it as she had done to Leon before the bite.
Growling at her, Noel tried to wrench his arm free. When he couldn't, he changed tact.
Using her grip on his wrist to pull her closer, he bent down and crushed his lips to hers. The moment of surprise seemed to be enough to break Leon's hold on him and he gestured wildly with his now free hand.
The shifter blinked, trying to get a hold of himself. They had to use the distraction- her eyes. Maybe if he could cover her eyes...
The growls he made was one of delight, and she moved to rake fingernails over his skin. She whispered words, words of darkness, and seduction, words of craving and lust.
"Be mine," came her demonic plea, as she continued to wrap herself up into him.
Leon was free, for now, but Noel was most certainly trapped. An animal growl rose up in his throat and he grabbed at the girl's waist, kissing her fiercely.
Dropping the book, Leon grabbed at th shirt Noel had used to smother the thing and lunged at Artemis, wrapping it around her eyes and jerking her backward, away from his brother.
Hissing, her hands curled like claws as she lashed out- though nothing in her position morphed, only the tenseness of her body as she jerked back, and violently so, tearing herself away from Leon's hold and tearing off the shirt with a roar.
"Noel, now!"
Both half-demons lunged at her, Leon wrapping his arms around her middle to pin her own arms to her sides, Noel tackling her legs so all three of them tumbled onto the bed.
"Don't let her talk!" Noel shouted, and Leon did his best to shove a piece of the sheet into her mouth.
Artemis's possessor was pissed, as she bucked in rage, trying to get the brothers off her.
Leon clapped a hand over her nose and mouth. "I'm sorry, Artemis," he muttered, while Noel tried desperately to keep her still long enough for the lack of oxygen to knock her out.
She struggled, jerked and bucked beneath them; but it seemed futile in the end. Though as she was nearly suffocated from their attempt (perhaps even lethally so), the red glow to her eyes was the first thing to be snuffed out, before her brown eyes rolled into the back of her head and she went still.
Seeing the red fade, Leon snatched his hand back a moment before she went limp. Both brothers froze, staring down at her.
"She breathing?" Noel asked after a moment, panting lightly with exertion. Leon bit his lip and leaned forward, trying to catch the sound of breath or a heartbeat.
Except it seemed there was none.
"Shit." Panic clutched at his heart. "Artemis? Artemis!" He shook her shoulder, then slipped one arm under her back to lift her up. "Hey- come on, wake up. Please wake up."
Noel was shaking his head, looking around the room. His eyes landed on the book and he leaped from the bed to grab it. "Alright, whatever the hell you are," he growled. "Fix this. Now."
But the book remained silent. In fact, it's eye was closed.
Growling in frustration, Noel shook the book and made to throw it across the room- then paused. There was a design on the cover, something he hadn't noticed before with the eye in the way. It looked almost sunken in, as though something...belonged there.
Leon had laid Artemis back down on the bed and leaned over her. "Noel, she's still not breathing." He sounded panicky. "I don't-"
"Move over." The older half demon shoved the book into his brother's chest and knelt next to the girl. Placing both hands on her chest, he pressed a few times rhythmically before leaning down and sealing his mouth over hers, forcing air down her throat.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Learned it from that healer with the big- never mind. It's supposed to help," Noel said before leaning down in an attempt to resuscitate the girl again.
And it took them quite a few tries, but eventually Artemis jerked back to life, her entire body shaking as she gasped for air. Then she began to cough, eyes watering as that turned into a wheeze and she lay there, tears rolling down her cheeks and no breath or mind for words.
"Oh thank gods..." Without thinking Leon leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her as gently as he could manage, murmuring apologies over and over.
Noel sat back with a heavy breath, running one hand down his face and closing his eyes for a moment in relief. "You gave us quite a scare, sweetheart," he muttered raggedly, forcing a smile and laying a hand on her shoulder.
"What... I..." the words came out in a squeak, eyes wide as she looked at the pair curiously. "What.. what happened?"
Noel laughed bitterly. "Search me," he said, throwing his arms wide. Sobering, he gave her a calculating look. "What's the last thing you remember?"
His eyes skimmed over the pair of them, his brother's arms still wrapped around her, and with a small smirk he muttered, "Oi, Leon. Maybe get some pants on at least, yeah?"
"Oh." The shifter quickly jerked back, cheeks heating. "Er. Right, sorry."
And ARtemis couldn't answer after that, her own face red as a beet.
Noel chuckled and cupped the girl's face in his hands, saying, "Here, look at me," as Leon got to his feet and moved across the room to get some clothes.
The levity drained quickly out of his expression though and he looked into her eyes with concern. "Seriously, Artemis. What do you remember? And how do you feel now?"
Looking at him didn't help much with her blush, nor to untangle her words as she tried to explain.
"Nothing. I... I only remember staring into the eye and.. And some sort of warm pull and then I... I am here and..." she trembled, eyes watering more. "What.. What happened to me?" she asked, tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked at him.
His expression softened and he pulled her against his chest, rubbing her back soothingly. "It doesn't matter," he said softly. "You're alright now, that's what's important."
Meeting Leon's eyes over her head, the brothers realized they were thinking the same thing: but what if she wasn't alright? What if that thing came back?
Sighing, Noel said slowly, "Artemis? Do you think you're ready to hear what happened?" He didn't want to distress her anymore than she obviously already was, but she needed to know.
Now dressed, Leon crossed the room to sit next to the bed, laying one hand gently on her knee and looking up at her face with concern.
"Oh dear..." she began, looking from one brother to the other. "It was... Something bad, wasn't it?" But even as she inquired, something made her eyes look pass the brothers and towards the book.
Leon saw where her gaze was headed and immediately moved to block her view. "Hey. Look at me," he demanded, putting his hands on either side of her face like blinders. "Just- just to be safe, alright?"
"It was...pretty bad," Noel answered, nodding in agreement with his brother as his own gaze flicked to the book. He stood, muttering, "I should wrap that thing back up."
"The book..." her brows furroweD as she placed a hand on one of Leon's. "Tell me... What.. What had happened."
Exchanging a glance, the brothers haltingly did their best to explain everything that had happened since she'd fainted. They downplayed their rather dramatic exit from the library, but tried to stick to facts for everything else.
Leon rolled up his sleeve to show where she'd bitten him- though the wound was already starting to heal, the blood was still there.
"On the bright side," Noel said after a moment with forced levity, "We can probably help you keep your job if you just claim you were abducted by two mages who were after that book."
"I... did this?" she asked, a hand hoovering over the tender spot. She winced. She lowered her head, shaking it. "I... I'm sorry I.... I don't know what to say... what to do...... I...." She lifted her gaze. "Do you think the curse was lifted? Now that I appear more... myself, I mean?" She fidgeted. She could only hope, because the more she thought on it, the more her stomach twisted in on itself.
Again, Leon and Noel exchanged a look. "We...don't know," Noel admitted after a long moment.
"I'm not sure it was a curse, exactly," Leon muttered, casting a vicious glance at the book. "More like a possession or something."
Noel sighed and rubbed at his temple. "Which usually means we'd have to exorcise whatever entity was doing the possessing in order to really get rid of it. Or lock it away somehow."
Lock. Hang on.
His eyes snapped to the book, searching out the design he'd noticed before. "I wonder..." He stood and edged warily closer to the thing.
Artemis leaned over the edge of the bed.
"Yes... what?" she asked, holding her breath. "Have you thought of something?"
The idea of being exorcised didn't sit well with her, and if there was some other alternative, or explanation, she just hoped it had an easy solution- or that whatever happened to her was gone and gone for good.
Gingerly, Noel wrapped his shirt around the edges of the book and picked it up. "Maybe..." he mused, crossing back to the bed.
Both he and Leon automatically shot Artemis wary looks as he brought the book closer, and Leon sort of put his arm in front of her protectively.
"See this?" He nodded at the sunken design. "It looks like something fits there, doesn't it?"
Leon's eyes brightened in understanding and he looked up at his brother. "You think there's a key somewhere."
Artemis stared at the book, shivering as she nestled in closer behind Leon. And although the book gave her the chills, she couldn't stop looking at it and its closed eye.
Leon noticed Artemis shift and looked back at her. "Hey." He twisted and moved to take up more of her field of vision. "You okay?" he asked gruffly, but the hand he put on her arm was surprisingly gentle.
She blinked and cast her eyes down.
"I should be the one asking you that question..." And nervously, she raked her fingers through her hair.
He tried to smile reassuringly. "It's just a little blood. I heal fast, don't worry." The boys hadn't mentioned that whatever had taken over her body had wanted demon blood specifically. Hopefully they wouldn't have to.
"I hate to say this," Noel muttered slowly, wrapping up the book again to hide it from sight, "but I think we're gonna have to go back to the library."
Leon looked at him incredulously. "Are you serious? We'd be killed on sight!"
She looked between the brothers.
"I should go... It wouldn't be fair to you two. You'd get into too much trouble."
"Are you crazy?" Noel demanded at the same time Leon growled, "Like hell you are!"
They glanced at each other, then back to her. "Artemis, what if that- that thing comes back for you and you're along?" Noel tried to reason with her. "You'll be safer if we stick with you."
"But what do you propose?" she went on, shaking her head. "I don't want you two to get arrested."
Noel shrugged. "We could wait for nightfall, sneak back in. Get in, get what we need, get out. Simple."
"Break into the library? But won't that be difficult now? I'm sure there would be extra guards stationed there."
The brothers exchanged a look. "Um...Artemis," Leon began cautiously, looking back to her. "I'm not sure how much you've figured out about us- about what we can do- but, well..."
"Breaking into a guarded library isn't exactly gonna be difficult for us," Noel finished bluntly.
"Yes.. Well, being thieves doesn't mean you should keep pursuing the art."
Leon blinked. "Ah..."
Noel burst out laughing. "Thieves?" he repeated, shoulders shaking with chuckles. "Oh, sweetheart. That's not even the beginning-"
His brother elbowed him sharply. Looking at Artemis, he said gruffly, "Maybe we shouldn't, but we don't really have a better plan at the moment." He offered a small smile. "You don't have to come with us if you don't want to. Just...wait here until we fix this."
She frowned at their suggestion to go alone.
"If you're settled on doing it- then you shouldn't go alone," she began with a shake of her head. Sighing, she moved to stand. "I know the library best, and the safest ways to get us in and out of there without getting caught. Besides... three eyes are better than two?"
Leon opened his mouth to protest, but Noel cut him off. "If you insist," he said with a shrug, glancing meaningfully at his brother.
The shifter got the message. It would be easier to keep an eye on her if they stuck together. "Fine," he muttered, standing and beginning to pace the room. He glanced out the small window. "Nearly sunset. If we leave just after nightfall, we should be able to get in pretty easily."
Noel looked at Artemis. "You sure about this, sweetheart?"
She drew in a long breath before exhaling.
"Not really."
She gave a small, forced smile. "But I'd rather find a way to awaken from a nightmare, than realize I've ignored it and it becomes... real."
Noel was impressed, mildly. "Wise of you," he murmured, standing as well and offering a hand to help her up. A quick smile and he added reassuringly, "Don't worry, we won't leave your side for a minute. Promise."
Leon nodded in agreement, though privately he wondered if that may not be the best idea, if that thing came back.
"So.. you two are the thieves. How do we go about being discrete? I can't say I'd be surprised if there are more guards even in the streets, especially at this hour. There is a city curfew, after all."
They looked at each other, then at her, and said in unison, "Distraction."
"Which is usually my job," Leon muttered, running hand through his hair. "I'll draw the guards' attention, you and Noel sneak in and do what needs doing."
"Distraction! Oh, Ansgar's name, no! You might get hurt out there, or worse!"
Leon actually smiled at her concern. "Aretmis," he said soothingly. "I appreciate that you're worried. but I'll be fine. Really."
She shook her head and dared to stand up.
"No, no, I can't have the pair of you risking your lives for me. It was really no one's fault this happened, though if any were to take blame, it ought to be me which means..." She went on, drawing in a long breath, "I will go with you two, and we'll do it as discretely as possible."
Hopefully without such distractions!
The brothers looked at each other and had a quick, silent exchange. Nodding slightly as they decided it would be easier to humor her for now, Noel sighed and muttered, "Alright. Come on, think you can stand?"
He slipped off the bed and help a hand out to her.
Nodding, she graciously accepted his hand and stood.
"There, see?" she went on with a smile. "I'm just fine. Now, let's not waste any more time here."
"Okay." Noel gave her a grin, but Leon just shook his head, muttering that this was a bad idea. "Come on, let's slip out the back."
Quietly she followed the two brothers outside. For now, it seemed the street they were on was mostly vacant.
"Just remember... there is also the Night Watch," she whispered. "We're out past curfew. So we need to be doubly careful."
"We know," they said quietly in unison. Noel grabbed Artemis's arm and urged her gently behind him. "You stick between me and Leon at all times, okay?"
His brother gave a soft rumble of agreement. It wasn't really a question.
Artemis mutely nodded, and followed after, eyes darting in every which direction but up.
Making their way down side streets and alleys, the boys gradually grew closer to the library. "What's the plan once we actually get in there?" Leon muttered as they slunk along.
"I'm sort of improvising," Noel admitted.
"Of course you are..."
Artemis released a breath she had been holding when the library came into view.
"There are a lot of guards at this hour," she commented, frowning as she tried to think of a useful idea herself to get them inside. But nothing was coming to mind.
Noel and Leon looked at each other, both thinking.
"Light 'em up?" the older brother murmured.
The shifter shook his head. "Just a distraction, Noel. Don't hurt anybody if we don't have to."
"Fine." He gave a dramatic sigh and nodded, then looked to Artemis. "You stick to Leon, alright?"
"Wait.." she latched onto Noel's arm. "What.. what are you planning to do?"
She wasn't sure if their improvising would be wise, or not harmful to anyone.
"Artemis." He covered her hand with his for a moment, giving her a reassuring smile, then pulled her fingers off. "I'm a...mage." Not a great admission in Connlaoth, but better than the truth.
"I'm going to create a fire to distract the guards while you and Leon sneak in."
At that, her eyes widened and she now CLUNG to his hand.
"What!?" She looked around, then stepped closer to him as she shook her head. "No! You can't!"
"Do you have a better idea?" Noel demanded, arching an eyebrow. Leon moved forward to gently grasp Artemis's upper arms, pulling her away.
"Hey, what are you doing over there? It's past curfew!" barked a gruff voice behind them, that made Artemis nearly jump out of her skin. Oh no! It was a city guard!
"Go, now!" Noel hissed, turning to face the guard.
Leon nodded and pulled Artemis with him into the shadows. "The back door, quick," he whispered.
Noel smirked and with a snap of his fingers conjured a ball of fire between his hands. "Hey! Over here," he called, starting to moved toward the guard.
Artemis was stumbling, trying to drag her feet.
"Oh! But Noel.... should we really leave him alone out there?" She was frightfully worried about him, wringing her hands as hey walked.
"Noel can handle himself," Leon whispered. "C'mon, Artemis, hurry."
She had to use so much strength to tear her eyes away. Her heart went out to his brother, but she knew they hadn't much time.
"I'm running as fast as I can. But look out! I see a guard at the back gate!"
Leon nodded. He saw the guard too. Dropping his hold on her, the shifter sprang forward and brought a clenched hand down hard on the back of the man's neck.
He fell instantly and Leon caught him, wincing slightly as his armor made a few clanks as he lowered him onto the ground. He beckoned Artemis forward urgently, eyes darting around.
Artemis numbly followed. Once inside, she whispered, "That guard... He isn't dead, is he?"
"What? No." He frowned. "Uh, well- I don't think so. He's probably fine."
Shrugging it off, Leon glanced around, then back at her. "You're the librarian. Where are we going?"
She tried to shake off her guilt, but she could not. She'd have to settle for 'He's probably fine' but the 'probably' part repeated as a terrible echo inside her mind. It was so stifling she almost didn't hear his query. She stumbled to a stop.
"Oh!" she was panting. "The other end of that hall. The door is there and it will take us to the lower libraries where that strange book was found."
"Got it." Leon set off, unconsciously reaching out for Artemis and tucking her protectively against his side, eyes searching the darkened library.
Just as they reached the door, his nose picked up a familiar scent and he visibly relaxed. "How'd you get away so fast?"
Noel smirked, trotting toward them down the hall, looking for all the world as though he'd just come from a pleasant stroll. "Trade secret," he said quietly with a wink, then glanced at the door. "This is the place, right?"
At the sight of Noel, Artemis sighed with relief.
"Thank God." She turned from the brothers towards the door. "Yes, just down there." And she moved to grab the handle, though she felt hesitant. She wasn't sure she really wanted to go back down there, but she closed her eyes and just did it, opened the door, then reopened them to begin their descent into the dark.
Sensing her hesitation, Leon rather awkwardly patted her shoulder as they started down the stairs. "Here." He gripped her shoulder and slipped past her, keeping her between himself and Noel so she had some form of protection.
The older brother patted her hair reassuringly, then let his hand drop as they continued on their way.
Softly but swiftly they all moved down the curling steps. The room below greeted them with the same lighted torches as before, but the mess down there seemed to have been cleaned up to some degree. Other than that, nothing looked out of the ordinary, looked as if it held any significance or types of clues that could lead them closer to a solution to this demon book problem.
Artemis released a breath as she looked around.
"I'm not sure where to begin, but I suppose anywhere among these books." She remained hesitant, staring at all of the books as she sunk her teeth into her lower lip. What if there were worse books with fouler curses than the one she had already encountered? She'd be risking her own life as well as the two brother's. And although she seemed like her normal self, who knew if whatever happened to her before was some sort of a fluke, or if there had even been a threat whatever possessed her would come back.
Noel sighed, looking around the room. "Then I guess we'd better start looking." He glanced at Artemis, then shot his hand out and gripped her arm gently, pulling her against his side. "You stick with me, for now. Don't want you wandering off on your own in case...something happens."
Leon gave a low growl as his eyes flicked over the books, nodding in agreement.
Artemis felt her heart leap a little when Noel pulled her close. Swallowing down the knot in her throat, she nodded. "Okay.."
And numbly began to help look around.
"Where'd you find the book?" Noel asked quietly. That seemed as good a place to start as any.
"The.. the pile over there. The ones beside the cart with the wheels,"s he pointed out. "What do you think we're looking for exactly?" she asked, chewing nervously on her lip.
"There was a...symbol, sort of sunken into the cover of the book," Leon replied, moving toward the pile she indicated. "Noel thinks there might be some sort of medallion or something that's meant to fit into it."
"You'd think that'd be easy to find in this sea of books," she went on with a sigh. "Still can't say I remember seeing anything like it. Perhaps it might not be with those books at all but elsewhere in the library's storage?"
"Great." Both brothers sighed in unison.
"Where's the rest of the storage?" Leon asked, tilting his head. "Maybe I can take a look there, you two can keep searching here."
She gestured to the far corner.
"Over there.... but," she bit her lip. "You'll need a key."
They both glanced at her. "Where do you keep that?" Leon asked.
"The head librarian... he normally keeps it in his office." She frowned realizing this task was becoming less than easy. "I.... could find a way into his office," she proposed. "He keeps a spare key for it hidden."
Both brother's sighed, then nodded. "Lead the way," Noel murmured, and Leon gave a brisk nod, adding quietly, "You two focus on searching, I'll keep an eye out."
If she hadn't felt like a criminal yet, she certainly was now as she swept past the history section and fumbled briefly through the shelves before producing a key.
"I can't believe it was so easy to predict his hiding place." She smiled in spite of the situation before moving to unlock the office door, then creeping in.
"He keeps his keys in the desk," she whispered, and lead the way.
Leon snorted softly as they followed her. "Humans are typically predictable," he murmured, a little arrogantly.
Noel elbowed him and shot him a look that quite clearly said, Shut up.
If she thought their words were out of place, she spoke nothing of it. They entered the office, and she made sure she was the one searching through her boss's desk. There was a top drawer, shallow and it housed a fistful of keys.
She breathed with relief when she picked up the set of keys.
"These are them. Let's go." She didn't want to waste anymore time than necessary. At any moment the group could be caught.
Neither brother was about to argue with her haste. They followed after her, eyes flicking around warily to search their surroundings, tension practically radiating off of them.
As they continued to move, she felt her hands shaking as she was moving through the lump of keys. Why did they all look the same and feel so unfamiliar? Why couldn't she concentrate on the task? She was too frazzled over the ordeal, afraid of being caught, getting into enough trouble to be hanged...
And that's when she dropped the keys and a small squeak escaped her lips and when her vision blurred, it was too late for her to fight back the tears.
"Oh."
"Shit."
Leon bent to collect the keys, fumbling and unsure as he muttered, "Look, Artemis, it's okay..."
Noel took the girl gently by the shoulders and turned her into a hug, stroking his hand over her hair. "What's wrong? Is that thing coming back?"
Artemis yelped at the contact but her jumping heart halted the noise. She remained frozen before being able to choke out a, "N-no... I.. I'm fine I just..."
she wanted to cry. She felt so overwhelmed.
If there was one thing Noel was good at, it was sensing when a woman was vulnerable. He sighed softly and tightened his arms around her, running his hands up and down her back with a few soothing "shh"s.
"You're alright," he murmured. "It's okay, you're alright." He looked over her head to his brother and mouthed, Get the door open. Leon nodded and fumbled with the keys, trying to find the right one.
Se couldn't help herself. She needed the comfort and leaned into him. She couldn't stop the tears now as they rolled hotly down her cheeks. She supposed it was best to just let them out than to keep them bottled up inside. Though she did feel immensely embarassed for it. But even still in this moment of vulnerability, her eyes lingered towards the book as she felt herself drawn towards it's location, and as she was looking at it, it seemed her tears began to fade away and her eyes looking off into some distant other world.
Leon finally managed to fumble the door open, the covered book tucked under one arm, so he didn't notice Artemis's look.
But Noel did. The half-demon tightened his arms around her. "Artemis?" He cupped her chin gently and tilted her head back. "Hey, sweetheart, you still with us?"
It took but a moment, but there was a hesitation, a pause before she blinked and found herself looking at Noel rather than the location of the book.
"Huh...?" she blinked again. "What.. what do you mean?" She felt her cheeks flush. Had she inadvertently done something to embarrass herself?
Noel let out a soft breath and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Nothing, darlin'. Don't worry about it."
He and Leon exchanged a quick, silent look before he gave Artemis a quick smile. "Now, why don't you help search for what we came here to snatch, yeah?"
THe tenderness was lost on her, or she certainly would have swooned. But she knew the situation was dire and numbly nodded at his words. Turning towards the door, she entered slowly, making sure she remained as close to the brothers' sides as possible.
Leon and Noel flanked her, looking around warily.
With barely a warning grunt, Leon shifted to his car form. He always felt more comfortable in these sort of situations when he had claws and fangs.
It was hard to see, then again it was still night.
"I'm not certain where we might find it," she went on, voice shaky and she, moving forward and trying to make her foot falls as sturdy as she could. Her mind, after all, was in a series of eternally tying knots. But then at the sight of the sudden large cat at her side, she couldn't help but gasp and fall into Noel.
"Hey, easy." He laughed quietly and caught her, holding her gently against his chest. "It's just Leon, sweetheart. See?"
The cat winced a little guiltily and turned to face her, eyes unmistakably Leon's. He chuffed quietly and stretched his head forward to nose her hip in a friendly sort of way, even offering up a quiet purr.
She didn't even know what to make of all of this, and found the knot in her throat hard to swallow.
"Oh... okay.." she finally managed to breath out, but it seemed her legs were slowing down and felt as if they were growing heavier, as was her head.
Leon licked her hand with a sandpaper tongue and gave a worried chuff.
"Artemis?" Noel searched her face. "You think you can do this? We're kinda lost without ya, doll."
A sudden jerk had her bumping into Noel, causing the book to clatter to the ground. The heavy book remained close, but something about it made Artemis lurch forward suddenly, as a wave of dizzyness over came her.
"Oh, shi- get the book," Noel barked at his brother as he lunged forward to catch the girl again. "You just can't stay on your feet around me, can ya?" he joked, though there was a hint of genuine concern in his eyes.
Leon dipped to pick the book up in his mouth, growling softly and hackles raised.
She was dizzy, and clung to Noel for support. And as the dizziness subsided, she shivered.
"I... I'm sorry," she said softly, weakly. She didn't know what just happened, but something crackled at her skin, and made the back of her neck tense.
"Don't apologize, sweetheart." Noel smiled and brushed some hair behind her ear, keeping her supported easily with one arm around her waist.
He hid it well, but Leon could sense his brother's tension and concern. Book clamped delicately between his jaws, he pressed up against the woman's side and purred quietly, rubbing his head against her leg.
Despite the reassurance, with the book so close at hand, she shivered. She had to wonder how much longer they'd all have to deal with this and prayed to all the Gods it wasn't some sort of permanent curse. Or.. maybe it was all just a bad dream.
"Hey." Noel felt her shiver and placed his forefinger lightly under her chin. "Artemis, love, look here. You doing okay?"
He frowned a bit, then glanced around. "We need to get moving. Where can we go that city guards won't chase us?"
Looking into his eyes was another awkward distraction from a more serious, frightening situation they all found themselves in. But he was handsome and she couldn't help but flush for it before nodding numbly and averting his gaze.
Love? Did he just call her love? She felt herself shiver for a very different reason. Too bad she couldn't reply to him. Noel's handsomeness caught her tongue.
"Artemis?" Noel's frown deepened. Was she having the start of another fit or something? She didn't seem to be responding to him.
He was honestly so on edge that the obvious answer eluded him. "Hey, Artemis. Did you hear me?"
Leon huffed, ears pressed to his skull as he twined around their legs.
Blushing clean to her ears, she tore her eyes away and shook her head.
"N-no.. I mean, yes.. yes I'm fine I..."
Her heart was pounding so fast as she held a closed hand against it.
"I.. I think I just need... needed a minute but i... yes.. we should keep moving." Before her reason to fear came back.
A subtle shift in her scent made Noel's eyes widen slightly, then fight back a smirk. Oh.
Well then.
Later. He shook himself, nodded, and glanced over his shoulder. "We don't know this city, lass. Where should we go?"
"There.. there's a second storage in the attic... But I've never been there, so I wouldn't know where to look." she bit her lip. "Since we found nothing here, that might be the next best place to look."
"Alright." He gave her a little squeeze, then dropped his arms and stepped back. "Take Leon and show him the way. I'll cover our tracks."
She gave a lame nod and headed out the door. She moved quickly along the wall of books, taking the first ladder up, and then another. Eventually they were going up so high she felt dizzy and had to pause, trying to steel herself, steel her nerves and keep herself from sweating. She could do this. She had to. Lest she never awaken from this awful dream.
On seeing the ladder, Leon growled quietly and took his human shape. Which left him in little more than a loincloth, the only piece of clothing he'd bothered to enchant to stay with him through a shift, but he didn't seem to pay it much mind.
"Hey, lady. You alright?" He muttered as Artemis paused above him, tilting his head at her.
She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself.
"Yes.. I just.. it..." she swallowed thickly. "I'm not a fan of heights."
Leon tilted his head the other way. "You're okay, lass. I'm right behind ya, alright?"
She closed her eyes even tighter, shaking her head.
"That.. that's not the.. the problem." She felt light headed. No wonder she never went up there. Not that she was allowed but...
She never went this far up into the library before and now..... now what?
She tried to move up another step but had to stop and gripped the railing nearest to her.
"Artemis." Leon's voice was even and calm, maybe a little wry. "Just talk to me, lass. What are we looking for? Focus on that."
Her fingers bit into the shelving she clung to, but couldn't get herself to move, despite his attempts. But she had already gotten herself this far, hadn't she? It was either go back... or finish this. She released a breath, whimpering as she closed her eyes more tightly before peering up so far she felt the strain in her neck. Up. She had to keep going. And with one foot slowly infront of the other, she ascended to the next level.
Not really sure what else he could do, Leon continued up after her.
Somehow she made it- she made it to the top. But when she was on safe enough ground to do so, she let herself spill to the floor and curled up against herself, clinging to the railed walls as she swallowed back a sob. This was too much. What had she gotten herself into? Never in a thousand years would she had considered attempting this...
Let alone,never had she dreamed some book would seek to reach out and curse her.
Leon panicked.
"O-oh shit. Um, lass? Artemis? Shit, fuck. Are you alright? Please don't cry?" he banked uselessly, moving tontouch her shoulder before snatching his hand back and looking around nervously.
Where the hell was his brother when he actually needed him?
She couldn't help herself. When Leon got close, she threw herself at him, clinging tightly and burying her face in his chest.
"O-oh." The shifter blinked down at her, then patted her back carefully. "It's- it's okay." He looked around desperately, flushed and completely at sea.
"I.. I'm sorry, I just really hate heights," she breathed against his shoulder as she clung to him, form still trembling, which no doubt he'd be able to feel.
"That's- that's alright." Leon smoothed his hand down her back until it rested in the dip of her spine. He was positive his face was on fire. "You're okay, yeah? It's...okay."
Unfortunately for him she couldn't move out of fear. No doubt he might be able to smell her fear as she clung to him. Not only that, but he'd be able to feel every inch of her body as well. She was basically plastered to him as she whimpered, "I never should have climbed up here."
Leon had no idea what to do. He looked around desperately, but their surroundings offered no help.
"Artemis? Leon?" His brother's hissed voice floated up to them and Leon tensed. "What's taking so long?"
Artemis swallowed thickly, but she couldn't even think right.
"Can... can you help me... me to move.. to.. to get to where I need to go?" she found herself asking him, voice quiet and body still trembling.
"Give us a few minutes!"
Leon glanced down at her, still rubbing her back a little awkwardly. "Ah, s-sure. What do you need me to do?"
"I.. if you.. you could.. m.. maybe carry me to.. to the ledge, over.. over there." She couldn't even point at it she was too terrified. "See the door? It has an octagon shaped window. That.. that's where we're going." She just prayed he could see it from there.
"We're going through the window?" He quirked an eyebrow, but scooped her up easily, one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders.
This he could handle. Holding her like this meant she was just cargo. Hugging was...too close.
He didn't have to hug, however, because she did. And she clung to him fiercely, still burying her face into his shoulder.
"Just.. just let me know when we're inside the room."
"I- okay..."
He carried her easily into the room, glancing around. "Ah- think you can walk now? We're in."
ARtemis still clung to him though she nodded.
"Just.. give.. give me a minute." she swallowed thickly and released a long breath. She couldn't even open her eyes yet.
"I.. I just have to.. to get my wit back... S-sorry."
"Alright." Leon patted at her head awkwardly, looking around. "Maybe...you could tell me what we're looking for, exactly?"
Artemis closed her eyes, breathing in slowly in Hope's to calm her heart and put her mind at ease. She leaned her head back, finally bringing up the courage to open her eyes and when she did, she held her breath and clenched her fists so tight her fingernails bit into skin. Her brown eyes focused on the ceiling, the way the narrow wood leaned over head. She focused on breathing, taking in the sweet dry scents of cedar before slowly letting her gaze go to the wall and- then her eyes found Leon and she smiled, sighing with relief and actually laughing.
"Ansgar's name.." she raked a hand through her dark hair. "Well, Atleast I survived the journey up."