"You say that like you're the first person to tell me that. And if you don't give a damn about other people, fine. You don't have to. But they don't have to give a damn about you, either." Kiania said, looking more tired than anything. And then she turned away from Adrielle completely, facing Artemis. "You want me to guide her out?" She asked, as though Adrielle wasn't even there.
“Go ahead,” Artemis said through gritted teeth. She pointed one of her rings at the floor in front of Adrielle, and a burst of energy seared the ground in front of her into charred powder. “Stop ignoring me!” she roared furiously. “Get the hell out of here!”
“No one’s ever given a damn about me,” she said calmly, not reacting to the energy that came flying at her. “So why would that ever hange? And why would I care now?”
Nat heard shouts that sounded like arguing. She bit her lip. Go, you weakling
Artemis hung suspended in the air for a drawn-out second before landing neatly on the floor, her power sputtering away. “You know what I think?” she asked calmly. “You crave attention and purpose, for someone to just look at you and appreciate you for who you are. Do you know what I also think? Who you are is a bully, and you’ll never be anything more.” She turned and collapsed down on a nearby futon, her energy seemingly spent. Artemis could barely keep her eyes open, and swayed gently from side to side.
Adrielle barely hid a wince. Her eyes flashed with anger, and her hair rose above her head. “That May be what you think,” she said, “but it’s wrong. And besides, it’s better to be a bully than a fake hero.”
Nat tried the door. Locked. Funny. She tried again, more aggressively.
"That implies that what we do is fake." Kiania said, shifting to stand inbetween Artemis and Adrielle. "Unlike you, we use our past experiences as motivation to help others."
Nat slammed her fist into the door. "Hey!"
Through her exhausted fog, Artemis heard the sound of Nat jiggling the locked door. “Daaaaaaaaad! Open th’doors,” she slurred, stumbling through the words. There was a loud, dramatic sigh from the floor above, and the door popped open. Artemis slumped to the floor, unconscious.
“What use would it be?” She asked coldly, “If everyone would just hate me for it. I tried being ‘good.’ Do you know how many people excepted me? None. So why should you?”
"Maybe I would have if you hadn't pulled this shit. I get it more than you'd think." Kiania said, sighing as she lifted Artemis up bridal style in her arms.
Nat stumbled out into the hall. She ran towards the voices.
Adrielle raised an eyebrow. “What else am I supposed to do when I see someone whose heritage is like… hers.” Her lips stretched in a malevolent smirk, and she pointed at Nat.
"Says the one with Captain Marvel as a mother." Kiania said casually, well aware what she was doing.
Rage filled her, so great that she saw red. “She is not my mother,” Adrielle hissed. “And she will never be.”
Artemis let out a soft groan as she awoke. “I really must stop exerting myself like this,” she said to Kiania hoarsely. “I apologize for the inconvenience.”
"Oh, touchy spot?" Kiania asked, tilting her head cheekily as she propped Artemis up against a wall and out of the way. "Don't worry babe." She assured Artemis, shooting her a wink.
Energy was raging through her veins, mixed with rage and a loneliness so deep it nearly consumed her. Adrielle kept up her facade, though, smirking as though she hadn’t just blown up.
Artemis blushed furiously, and winked back with both eyes. “Why, thank you.” She used the wall for support and struggled to her feet, clutching the elaborate carvings for dear life. Perhaps I’m not the best backup, but hopefully I’m better than nothing at all, she thought.
"Playing games with kids isn't my favorite thing to do." Kiania said, turning to look at Adrielle. "So I'm unfortunately cutting this short. We've all got mom issues. Congrats on letting yours get to you, kid. Now for the love of Thor, take the bad energy elsewhere and figure out your shit."
Nat stood defensively. "You aren't allowed to talk about my family," Nat hissed to Adrielle.
“Aren’t I?” Adrielle laughed. “I don’t see who you are to tell me what I can and cannot do.”
Nat gritted her teeth. "Stop it with your magic. Fight me fist to fist. Then we'll see who can demand what."
Kiania cleared her throat, shooting Nat a meaningful look. "Do not start this shit again. Something tells me Strange won't hesitate to boot both of your asses, though I can't say I blame him with that one." She jerked her head in Adrielle's direction.
Adrielle rolled her eyes. “I never used my little light show ability. You should know- oh wait, you wouldn’t, because you were too busy crying.”
"Because I'm a human!" Nat snarled. "We feel emotions! My mom died to save the f*cking universe. And I miss her, alright? I'm sorry that's a weakness!"
“You should be,” Adrielle sniffed. “Humans are weak.”
Lucky bastard. At least she actually has someone who cared about her enough for her to love her. At least she can actually miss people.
"Half of us wouldn't be here without my mother!" Nat yelled. Her nails dug dug deep into her palms.
Adrielle gave a slow, mocking clap. “Well, how wonderful. I suppose you’re proud of her.”