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[indent][indent][indent][color=gray][sub][right][color=#1aa3ff][b]Location:[/b][/color] Wild Hunt Guildhouse -- The City of Thorinn, Aetheria || The Previous Day[/right][/sub][/color]

The silence was the worst. 

Somehow the complete lack of sound screamed louder than any amount of the typical chaos that usually roared through the halls. Every step echoed when it should've been washed out by the cacophony of the boys arguing back and forth. She could hear the boards making up the walls shifting, settling throughout the night. Every sound making her jump, every sound scarily reminiscent of a scream of pain. She could've [i]sworn[/i] she heard their voices in those sounds. Begging for release, crying out in pain as they tumbled off this dreadful mortal coil. Throughout the night, these waking terrors plagued Artemis' mind. The girl tossing, turning, sweating in her bunk. Desperate to fall deep into a dreamless slumber, and never wake. Yet she could find no such mercy, perhaps a punishment for leaving all those so dear behind? Yet was there truly anything she could've done for them? Against such odds?

[color=#1aa3ff]"Damn it all."[/color] She whispered to nobody in particular, rolling out of the hammock strung up in her room. Bare feet pressed to the cold wooden floor, sending a shock through her body and killing off any concept of sleep that had been riding in the girl's mind. Artemis trudged slowly through the empty halls, listening to the creaks and complaints of the old house as she went opening each of the guild member's rooms. Somehow, despite knowing they lay empty, Artemis felt her heart sink further and further into that black pit as she discovered each room to be empty. Memories of her friends played out before her eyes as if their specters hung around solely to remind her of what she had lost. The cost of her survival. Her vision blurred as she moved down the hall towards the last room, that of their guild leader, Odinson. Slowly, the door opened with a borderline-monstrous groan. The scene inside would no doubt be the typical neat, spartan layout he had favored. Yet to Artemis' tortured gaze, the room was non-existent. No, she was not that lucky. 

[i]The floor was covered with a horde of them, black shapes crawling about the floor as if it were a terrible midnight sea. Their screeching was unbearable, tearing at the walls of one's mind as it mixed into an unholy chorus with the moans, wails of pain from further within. The mass turned its collective attention on the remaining two, and the girl nocked another spell to fire at her endless foe. Yet, before she could loose the spell, Artemis was staggering back. With wide eyes, she stared up at Odinson, her remaining friend, after he had shoved her out of that hellish room. [color=f7941d]"RUN!"[/color] He shouted, voice strained from pain as the sea fell upon him. The door to that hellscape slammed shut with a resounding thud...[/i]

Then she was once more alone, sitting on her rear and staring at the closed door to her friend's room. Tears welling up in her eyes as she curled into a ball, feeling like the very house that had once brought her so much joy was closing in upon her. For what felt like an eternity, Artemis stayed in that hall. She cried, letting all the pain hidden within her mind free until she felt as if she could no longer breathe until her body hurt from the convulsions. Only then, in that strange state of numbness, did Artemis finally find the strength to move once more. This time she braved each of her friend's rooms, emotions muted as she had expended all the energy she could in that hallway. Her fingers traced along their favored possessions, collecting one small item that had been so important to each of them, and carrying it back to her own room. She'd never let them leave her mind, no matter what. 

Four items, for the four friends she had lost so recently. From Apollo and Icarus, the twin brothers who had grown up down the street from her, she collected a sketchbook and homemade stuffed animal from each respectively. From Heimdall, the one who had gotten her into gaming, she collected a prized battleax hanging on his wall. He had been their smith and took great pride in the weapons he crafted. Finally, from Odinson, the one who had saved her... she took one of his many cloaks. On him, they had been short and only gone down to his midback, on herself the cloak passed her rear. He'd always be with her, always there to keep her safe. 

From here she set about organizing the rest of their belongings into neat piles on their bunks, intending to find a way to pack them up for storage. No use letting them hang about in an empty room and haunt her memories, she'd rather they be somewhere safe. Somewhere she could ensure the belongings of those she loved so much would be untouched. She continued this work, letting her mind remain empty and hollow as she moved about her tasks until the harsh light of dawn started to cut through the windows. [color=#1aa3ff]"Right, the others."[/color] She mumbled to herself, remembering a vague hint of where those who had previously saved her would be meeting up today. She should go, if not just to thank them for being there and letting her follow their group out of that dreadful place. First, however, a bath. 

The small patter of feet across the floor caused her head to snap in the direction of the sound, dropping the towel she had been using to dry, and going immediately for the bow she left near the tub. Had they followed her? Some curse she didn't know about? She knew that damned sound. [b]Patter-Patter. Squeak.[/b] Behind. She turned, firing once, twice, then three times from her bow, her a scream of fear and rage leaving her lips as she took aim at what she was certain to be the menace that had stolen her friends, back to finish the job. As the dust settled, Artemis' eyes went wide as she realized the truth. It had just been a simple mouse, now blown to bits amid the ruined remains of the shelf it had been scurrying towards. A mouse. A goddamned mouse had set her into a flurry of violence and fear. Shaking her head, Artemis returned to her attempts to dry and dress, deciding it better to get herself out of this house for a bit. 

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[color=gray][sub][right][color=#1aa3ff][b]Location:[/b][/color] The Laughing Worg Tavern -- The City of Thorinn, Aetheria || Present Day[/right][/sub][/color]

Making her way towards the entrance of the tavern, Artemis wondered if this was the right thing to be doing. If she'd be intruding on another group past her welcome. Still, she felt it was better than spending any more time in that house alone. She was certain that she would be spending plenty of time like that soon enough, and that was when she'd have to remember. Pulling Odinson's cloak tighter around herself, Artemis knew it was unusual for her to be heading to a tavern in a less flashy outfit but... this was so much safer. She needed that right now, safety. [i][color=#1aa3ff]They don't need to see your weakness, it's not their problem.[/color][/i] She mentally reminded herself as she approached, trying her damndest to force the darker, subdued tones from her features. Though there was no doubt they'd notice the lack of sleep in her eyes.

With a huff of determination, Artemis pushed open the door to the tavern. Quickly, her gaze drifted around until it fell upon some of the familiar faces from the dungeon. She forced a small smile onto her features, nothing overbearing, but enough to be pleasant as she pulled her hood down. No use approaching the group looking like she'd just crawled out of hell, she didn't want to deal with any questions about how she had spent her night. Nor about how she was feeling. No, Artemis was afraid she'd crumble under such questions. She wasn't ready to answer how she was handling the last couple of days. She didn't know if she would ever be ready. Once more, the girl shook her head as her gaze locked onto the group full of adventurers, many of whom she did not recognize. She should've known better than to assume it had been only the group in the dungeon. [i][color=#1aa3ff]Guess I'll have to introduce myself to some as well...[/color][/i] She thought for a brief moment, then started towards the assembled group but froze only two steps in. Hesitation gripped her, keeping her from going forward. 

Did she really have a right to impose on this group? Was it fair? Even after she had left her friends to die?

[i][color=#1aa3ff]No, I don't.[/color][/i]
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