Artemis quirked an eyebrow up before she could help herself.

[color=darkturquoise]"I thought you knew where I was from."[/color] She snapped her mouth shut as soon as the words left her. Now probably wasn't the best time to be a wise-ass. She took half a breath to collect herself before finally crossing the threshold. 

[color=darkturquoise]"But I guess it isn't important,"[/color] she said as she walked towards the chair, [color=darkturquoise]"if there's no going back."[/color] The words sounded hollow. A stone landed in her stomach as their meaning sank into her. [i]No going back.[/i] Her world hadn't been the best, sure but… Artemis was fond of it. Or as fond you could be of something you just realized you'd never see again. Especially since the world she now found herself in made as much sense as clockwork trees and flying monkeys did. Her body was working on autopilot as she picked up the books and placed them on the ground. 

[color=darkturquoise][i]No going back.[/i][/color]

Artemis would never see her valley again. She'd never see the way the sun crested between the mountains and glinted off the white marble of the palace, or how fireworks ignited the winter sky on the solstice. Honestly, she'd never had any plans of returning. What right did she have after leaving like she did? But she'd always liked to imagine a nebulous future of Maybes and Eventuallys. She sat down in the chair.

The last she'd heard, the Silver Valley had finally settled into order after the chaos of losing both heirs. There had been grief, confusion… conspiracies of what had happened to the elder sibling. Some said she'd fallen ill like her brother. Others said there'd been a coup from within the court. But most agreed she'd simply abandoned them. It certainly wouldn't have been out of character from what gossip escaped the palace walls.

The bitter taste in the back of her mouth turned sharp and solid, greedy with its grip on her throat.

She'd never see her brother's grave. 

Artemis blinked and tried to swallow around the lump. Couldn't.

Wasn't that just… just [i]typical[/i] of her. One final act of abandonment. He'd be next to their father, she knew, in the main chamber of the royal crypt facing the East to greet the sun. His name would be engraved in the thick crystal plate. A dragonfly passing across the moon would be etched above it to signify he'd ruled the valley, however briefly.

Artemis was still as granite, her open palms resting in her lap. She blinked down at them. Her pointer finger twitched. It took too long to force her hand to turn over in a stiff, halting motion. Reaching up, she grabbed the tea cup. She looked at it for a moment. The thought of drinking nearly made her sick, though her face was still a mask. 

She made herself bring it to her lips and take a sip.

[color=darkturquoise]"Thank you,"[/color] she forced out after swallowing. Her voice was quiet and too frail. Intact but breakable. Artemis felt breakable.

The emotion would work for her, she knew. It would give credibility to… whatever it was that she was selling. Artemis didn't know anymore. She wasn't sure she cared. She looked up to the Witch's eyes.

[color=darkturquoise]"If I'm stuck here, I'd very much like to learn how to not die."[/color]