Adventure awaits

"Pfft! 'Ye wish, mate." said Art as she swung her elbow into his gut. The force of it propelled him off her and had him crashing through a branch. Artemis let out a gasp as the heavy bow snapped under his impact. "Chase!". Just as he fell, Art leapt. She caught a hold of his hand swiftly and almost lost her footing on her own branch. She scraped the skin off her calves as she wrapped her legs around the branch, just barely hanging on and Chase swung slowly back and forth in their precarious position. "S-sorry..." she sobbed in pain, tears coming to her eyes.

Art used the last of her strength to swing Chase face first into the trunk so that he could grab a hold for himself. Meanwhile, Artemis let go of the branch and fell. She did not reach for another.
 
Chase grabbed the branch immediately, he watched her let go and fall to the forest floor, "Now, I win." Chase said, laughing. He jumped down to the ground and watched Artemis fall infront of him, looking her in the eyes, he set her down, "It's fine. Just as long as you don't do anything like that again, nearly let me fall to my death, I'm not ready to die yet, I haven't even graduated, it will be soon though." Chase said and laughed.

He looked at her again and decided that he would show her something, "Come with me." Chase said and grabbed her hand, he pulled her deeper into the Forbidden Forest until he came across a cave where he liked to hang out a lot, he stopped there and said, "Come in, if you will." Chase said.

Chase headed deeper in, till he came across the place he had been searching for, a moonlight nook, during the day the sun sparkled on all the gemstones laid out inside, along the walls and floor, he didn't know what Artemis would think of it, but Chase found it a great place to relax, he sat himself along the wall and waited for Artemis to come in.
 
Artemis was barely paying attention through her tears, but just managed to answer him. "W-why would I let 'ye fall?" she sobbed, clutching at her heavily twisted ankle. It was a miracle that it wasn't worse. A few weeks ago a similar accident had occurred while in Carlisle's care where she had broken her ankle after a sparring session with swords. She'd knocked a tree down and it came crashing onto her foot ... the same one that she was holding now. Artemis had fallen from quite a height, and had almost escaped without injury - almost.

"What are you talking about dying for ..." she cried, rubbing the tears cascading down her face. Stupid fragile bones... Chase was already up and taking her somewhere into the forest and so, still trying to get her pain and sobs under control, she hobbled after him determinedly.

By the time Artemis had caught up with him she had finally stopped crying, but her nose and cheeks were bright pink. "My ankle hurts," she told him. Art was extremely strong but she was just a little girl, and her ankle was puffed up an angry red and purple. It was very beautiful in this area though, and it calmed her slightly as she hopped to a log and sat down.
 
Chase watched her sit down, he drew his wand and walked over to Artemis, "Here. Let me get that for you." He pointed his wand at Artemis's leg, "Episkey." He said, "Does that feel better?" Chase asked, he went back over to where he was sitting before, "How was your day before you ran into me?" Chase asked and began laughing again, he looked at her, trying to decipher what she was thinking, "Do you want me to go to the Yule Ball?" Chase asked, he hadn't been planning on it, but he would if she wanted to.
 
She felt the wave of relief from the healing spell, and gave Chase a watery smile. "Thank 'ye, that feels much better. That ankle's still a little weak," she told him. It was nice of him to ask how her day was going so far, but there hadn't been much to tell sadly. With a jolt, she realised how little she did at Hogwarts other than explore on her own, visit the animals or study occasionally.

"Well, I was just going for a walk to visit the centaurs after that kerfuffle in the Great Hall. They don't mind me or a few others 'cause I'm a half breed, not quite human 'ye see." Artemis had to smile when he asked him whether she wanted him to go to the Yule Ball. "Sure I'd like 'ye to come," she answered "But it's up to 'ye whether ye'd like to go. I'd offer 'ta dance with 'ye except it'd only be my dance partner short enough to pull it off!" she laughed.
 
Chase looked at her, "I may go, I may not, I haven't fully decided yet, I reckon it would look strange to turn up with no date, as I would, because I'm not really that well acquinted with everyone here, and I hardly know anybody, up until now I was a suffer in silence type of guy." Chase said and laughed, it would look really funny if a Seventh Year turned up to the Yule Ball without a date. Chase laughed once again, "You must really hate being so little." Chase said, laughing once again.
 
"Oh don't worry about that. Some of the girls who don't have dates still go, and it's nice because then ye'll be able to dance with more than one partner." Art gave him a nudge with her elbow. "Who knows! 'Ye might find a special someone," she winked at him. Art was taken aback by his next statement. Did she hate being little that much? "Well, sometimes it is a little isolating," she told him conspiratorially "But it makes me special. If I wasn't so small, I wouldn't have met another part-goblin, Jareth. He's the one taking me to the Yule Ball," and, unable to stop herself, she blushed.

"I have to make my own clothing, though." Art told Chase. "And let me tell 'ye, it was hard going learning how to sew." Somehow she didn't mind telling these things to Chase. She was getting fond of him somehow. He was merry company.
 
Chase was surprised, he hadn't thought she would share so much with him, she must really like him, if she was telling him such things. Chase laughed, in a attempt to hide the surprise he was sure had been written all over his face and he wondered what she was thinking about, "Maybe I should make a surprise appearance at the Yule Ball. I will find you, I will dance with you, even if I have to stun your date to do it." Chase joked, and began laughing, he looked at her, "I'm only kidding about that last part, but I do wish to dance with you while I am there." Chase said and laughed, "I fear I may have to stun Jareth to accomplish it though." Chase said.
 
Artemis blushed at this. She felt that Chase must just be humouring her in that aspect - after all, why would 'one of them tall people' want to dance with a sprout like her? It'd be like dancing with an over-sized doll. They might as well just pick her up rather than lean down to hold her hands. Chase was tall as well, so he'd look particularly silly. However, it would be nice to have a dance with just one more person even if it was just for fun.

"Perhaps 'ye will, but I don't think so. We're just going as friends," smiled Artemis shyly. How she wished it might be more, but after all they barely knew each other, and Art wasn't as pretty as the girls he spent all of his time around. Jareth had an other-worldly beauty that Art would never had even though she was a goblin, too. She just couldn't see herself as she really was.
 
Chase laughed, "I can see the hope in your eyes." Chase told her. He laughed at this, she didn't think that she was pretty in her own way, Chase could tell that by the look on your face, "Artemis.. You are pretty in your own way, everybody is. I could tell you were thinking that by the look on your face." Chase said and laughed, he tended to get a bit intrusive while he was bored, he hoped she wouldn't mind, he really couldn't help noticing, he had seen the doubt flick across her face and then back off in the same second.
 
This time Artemis really blushed. How did Chase know how she felt about Jareth? She could just barely admit to herself that she ... she ... thought very highly of him. After all, they'd only known each other for several weeks. True, it felt as though he had captured her heart almost instantly, but that was no reason to presume that they were going to the Ball together as anything more than they were. For someone as wonderful as Jareth, he'd never think of her as anything but an acquaintance or at most a friend. The very idea of holding his hand made her heart leap like a jack-rabbit ... but it would never be.

I wish he'd stop reading me like this, thought Artemis. Generally it was impossible to tell what she thought about anything. Maybe she was being a bit obvious. Art made a mental note to close off her feelings from the outside world better. "That's nice of 'ye to say," she thanked him although it was obvious that she didn't believe a word of it. Why then had no boy taken even a second look at her if she was supposed to be 'pretty'? Obviously it was just meant to make her feel better, something that Artemis did not need.
 
Chase looked at her, suddenly annoyed, "Clearly, you doubt yourself. Clearly, you don't believe me, and clearly you don't think of yourself as pretty. I think your pretty. I am not lying to you either." Chase told her, seriously, the tone of his voice was serious, not to be confused with joking. He settled down a bit though and stood up and leaned against the wall, "I'm sorry I snapped at you, but I was being serious, I didn't want you doubting yourself like that, your strong, we can't have you doubting yourself." Chase told her.
 
Just like he had, Artemis got annoyed. "I don't like to be made fun of, Chase. I know for a fact that I am not beautiful like other witches, but 'ye do not have to rub it in my face like this." It was apparent that she just could never see it ... would never believe herself to be pretty in any way. "Strength and beauty are completely different things. Perhaps if I was beautiful I wouldn't have to be strong..." she paused. "But whatever the case, it isn't any of your business what I look like." said Art firmly.

It didn't matter that Chase thought she was pretty, because he didn't like her like that. No-one did, so how could he judge? Artemis sighed and looked away. "I'm sorry I snapped as well. I just..." she didn't know what to say. "I just don't see myself like that."
 
Chase looked at her, "I am not making fun of you." He said, starting to get annoyed, "If you don't understand that I will start to get annoyed and I may do something I will regret, No, I am not threatening you either." He added. He was getting annoyed at the fact that she would not believe him and he needed to keep telling her the same thing, it only got more annoying for him that she wouldn't take him seriously, "Listen here, if I wanted to joke around with you, I wouldn't do it on these kinds of things." Chase told her.
 
"Well..." Artemis calmed down a little as Chase started to get agitated. She looked down at her tiny pink-shoed feet and sighed. "Maybe you think so ... but I don't. I can't help the way I feel." About myself... maybe it makes me a sad person, thought Artemis glumly. "It's nice of 'ye to say that about me. I guess I can say the same about you." That he's handsome and all. Because he is, shrugged Artemis to herself. I mean, it's not as if Chase would have a problem getting girls. So I guess I can understand why he can't see it from my perspective.

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit tired that's all..." said Artemis, and it was true. All this sparring during the week had tired the little girl out more than could have imagined. "It was really nice to have met 'ye. I had a lot of fun." Oh, it's getting late...
 
Chase laughed, "Thanks, I guess." Chase said awkwardly, he got up and started to walk off, "Come on, it's getting late, we should head back to the castle." He walked over to her and grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him, he would not get in trouble for her being late back to the castle, he was just starting to enjoy this, he had never been caught, and he would not let Artemis get caught, "I'm not sure how late it is, if you see anybody patrolling, stun them. You can blame me for it later." Chase said and laughed, he continued walking towards the castle, laughing.
 
"I'm not that innocent for them to believe me!" she laughed, letting him take her hand as they scampered up to the doors before they shut. The touch did not feel so strange; his hand was bigger and warmer, a lot like her older brother's. The sun was just beginning to set, and Artemis could smell dinner even from where she was outside. She lifted her nose and smelled beef, turkey and chicken. "Ooh, we're having roasts tonight!" she grinned and she pulled Chase along further.

They soon reached the gravelly path running from the lawn to the side entrance door. Art paused to smile up at Chase, letting go of his hand. "Come and talk to me in the common room some time," she grinned at him. With a quick hug to her new friend, Artemis disappeared into the shadows of the doorway, slipping between people's legs unnoticed and leaving Chase to wonder who on earth she really was.

End Scene​
 
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