[center][h3][color=mediumseagreen]Artemisia[/color][/h3][/center]

Today was the day for becoming a hunter, it seemed. In no time at all the designated waiting room filled with all manner of prospective guild members, each far more memorable than the average Joe or Joan. Nobody seemed too eager to get familiar, which suited Artemisia just fine now that she'd spent her social energy, so she got down to overanalyzing them, trying to pick up story threads. 

Now that she got a good look at Spear Blondie, Artemisia wondered why she seemed so uncomfortable. She sported a real mercenary look, all that leather and those scarves giving her a potent frontier flavor, a visage that would've been right at home in the saloon of some dusty Bellas village. Like a soldier put somewhere she didn't belong, she carried herself in a way trying to be both casual and cool at the same time, as if she couldn't really relax. Could she have recently parted ways with some mercenary band following a job gone wrong? Maybe a fallout with a fellow fighter, or the cohort's leader? A betrayal, perhaps. A lost love? A pretty face like that paired with a rough getup seemed just the sort for a tragic end to some battlefield romance. Or...maybe she just didn't know what to expect from this test, and didn't like strangers. Honestly, Artemisia could relate.

The lady in metal looked far more at ease. Composed, relaxed, no fish out of water there. Thinking back to what Oliver said, Artemisia realized that this woman ought to be able to fulfill the role of protector. She cut a gallant figure in that armor, to be sure, and her weaponry bore unmistakably quality. This must, Artemisia conjectured, be a lady knight. No doubt a veteran of long service to a lord, or the captain of a guard. With unerring loyalty and strength she must have inspired all who looked upon her. Her look and bearing suggested abject seriousness, probably not a lot of fun at parties, maybe even a steadfast practitioner of chivalry. Such an attitude no doubt broke many a heart. Maybe hers was a story of mellowing out, of learning to love life and enjoy time with others. Well, if she defended Artemisia valiantly and helped her play her starring role, she figured they could get along.

More obviously less self-assured was the young man with goggles. On the shorter side, standing just a little lower than Artemisia herself if she had to guess, he did not cut an imposing or even battle-ready figure. Wondering if the guy knew what he was getting himself into and why, she couldn't help but picture the studious son of a well-to-do merchant or noble, perhaps. Hardworking and obliging, he pursued scholarly interests to win the approval of his father...and to escape the shadow of his more talented older brother, yeah! But even as he cultivated clerical skills and honed his mind, the young man yearned for something more. There was more to life than meeting others' expectations and trying to show up loved ones. So on the eve of his graduation, he slipped away, giddy with excitement, to enlist in the Hunter's Guild for a life of whirlwind adventure and heart-pounding danger! Perfect! Artemisia felt like she could write out the whole book in one afternoon.

And whoo boy, that was one big dude, not leaving a lot to her imagination. Still, to Artemisia's credit she set it working anyway. What could his deal be, other than being extremely well built and exotically dressed? And who was that rather similarly underdressed woman on his shoulder, with long ears and an intriguing physique? The black mage couldn't exactly boast a sweeping knowledge of...well, [i]anyone[/i] north of the Underoad. Hell, even her knowledge of Bellas itself wrung out pretty thin. 'Insular' described her upbringing pretty well, though she still got a lot more exposure to the outside than most of the other kids. Still, a lack of knowledge never stopped her making stuff up before. This burly fellow surely hailed...

...Oh. He was the super extroverted type. That pretty much killed Artemisia's thunder; anyone who couldn't appreciate a nice silence tended to get on her nerves. [i]I talk when I feel like it[/i], she thought without actually responding, since she didn't feel like it. Still, he wore a nice smile -among other things- so she couldn't get that put out. He went ahead and tried to get everyone talking by introducing himself and proclaiming best wishes for everyone, and to Artemisia's chagrin it seemed to work. First Mitra, then Luna. For some reason Luna's very appearance suddenly struck a nerve with the black mage. She looked too perfect. Too exquisite, too sweet and pure. Like someone out of a fairy tail. And what was with that getup? Artemisia knew she wasn't one to harp on about practicality when it came to dress, but this girl looked one stiff wind away from a serious wardrobe malfunction. And Garuda forbid it rained.

After the other ladies introduced themselves and Artemisia consciously abstained, content to relax on her chair in a corner well out of the limelight, Luna took the brunt of one of the other applicant's attention. The philanderer -or Blaike, as he came to be known- wasted no time in buttering her up, without so much as acknowledging her or the lady knight's existence. He did seem to know Mitra, which fit the narrative. Artemisia rolled her eyes, leaning on her chair's back with her jaw resting on her propped-up hand. [i]Well, not my fault I was raised on a mountain and not in a beauty parlor. Better off without such attention anyway.[/i]

For all his angling, however, Blaike, received the attention of someone he didn't likely intend. Avaddon started talking and just didn't stop, first explaining that he'd literally just picked Luna up before coming here and then doing some analysis himself. [i]Hey, that's my thing! Well, I didn't get to him anyway, so whatever.[/i] He seemed pretty enthusiastic about his deductions concerning Blaike's character, but something about his speech made Artemisia wonder if he going a really roundabout way to slight him. Artemisia caught herself staring at what she now felt pretty sure were real scales on Avaddon's body. [i]Ooh...an alter?[/i] She regarded him with new interest, but remained quiet, and resumed entertaining herself with the possibilities.