Holy [i]shit[/i] this kid gave Artemis the creeps. But she played along like the good lying thief she was, letting the corner if her mouth twitch up like she was indulging the kid in some shared secret. 

The sound of the door opening interrupted them though, and Artemis' blood froze. She ducked behind one of the huge iron tables (admittedly not her [i]best[/i] hiding place) as the Kith hid beside the door frame. Artemis could barely breathe as heavy, plodding footsteps thudded across the creaking floorboards. A voice rumbled low and incoherent as the newcomer moved past the kitchen door. An old man, by the sound of it. Heavyset. She peered through the table's legs to see the girl frozen and scared, her mouth moving in a silent prayer.

What a mess of a situation. But Artemis had landed herself in worse before. And she hadn't had the advantage of runes at the time, she remembered in a spark of inspiration.

Slowly, achingly slowly, Artemis straitened her legs under her, just enough so she was in a low crouch, rather than a full squat. She took a step forward. She was silent. Her heart thundered in her chest as she took another step, then another. She heard the sound of a drawer opening as she crept her way around the table, to the old hearth. It was little more than a raised brick platform, a mess of blackened wood and charcoal piled atop, and an old metal pot hanging above it. 

Long fingers curled around a charred remain, some piece of log that had fallen away after a fire had eaten through it. With it in hand, Artemis made her way to the doorframe, opposite the girl. She was on the hinged side of the door, and had to crane around it to catch a glimpse of the man – broad and graying, slow but no doubt strong. Probably wouldn't take well to uninvited guests. Luckily his attention seemed to be elsewhere at the moment. 

She glanced back towards the front door. Still open. So he probably wasn't planning on staying long. Maybe she'd get lucky and he'd find whatever he needed and leave, none the wiser. Hopefully whatever he was after wasn't in the kitchen. That'd be just her luck.

Artemis pulled back, behind the safety of the door again. She curled her free hand around the doorknob to hold it in place, and brought the piece of charred wood to the old door. 

She flinched at the sound her makeshift pen made as it scraped against the wood. But it was soft and muffled, she knew, too low for the man to hear (she hoped). After an eternity of seconds, a familiar rune was drawn on the door – [i]silence[/i]. She pulled her hand from the doorknob and touched the charcoal image, careful not to smudge it. It took a moment, but soon enough it began to glow a soft white light. Artemis slowly pushed the door closed. She kept her eyes trained on the shrinking sliver of light on the ground until [i]finally[/i] the door was closed.

She felt the latch click into place. But the house was silent save for the old man's muffled rummaging. Her heart dropped with relief, her adrenaline switching from fear to excitement. Her eyes found the Kith girl and Artemis raised a single finger to her smirking lips. She was about to move away from the door when she paused, another thought coming to her. 

Lifting the wood again, she drew another rune, above the first one. This time there was no sound when she drew, she noticed with some satisfaction. When she was done, she brought her hand up and activated it as well. A spiraling rune glowed in her eyes. 

[i]Still.[/i]

Hopefully if the man [i]did[/i] decide to come into the kitchen, her rune would slow him down and give her enough warning to escape. 

With that done, she finally moved away from the door and began her work. It was easy enough to find a bag and empty it of… some… vegetables? Artemis had no idea. As quickly as she could while still keeping quiet, Artemis put dried meats, fruit, jars of who-knew-what in the bag. The room was so huge with so much to choose from, it was overwhelming. Where was she? Who needed to feed so many people? Some sort of school? Inn? Barracks? She didn't plan on sticking around to find out. 

Artemis kept one eye on the Kith girl as she moved, sure to grab a small knife that fit easily in her hand. Her time was running out, she knew. Her bag was halfway full when she decided she had enough for the time being (she had other stops to make, still – other things to steal) and she moved back towards the window.