Surprise? (Artemis)

Artemis smiled at the laughter, finally seeing her Amber relaxed and happy in her own personal space. ''It is quite alright, my dear.'' She murmured and patted Jack's horse, taking the chance to press a kiss onto his cheek. ''If we cannot find anyone, we go into the village and hunt there. They do not mind, having gotten used to it now but we'll take you to a bar. There are willing people who wish to be fed from.'' She usually hated feeding from those people but they were useful at times. ''Come. I think I hear footsteps.'' Baldwin called out from ahead of them, looking like a knight upon his horse.

Amber raised an eyebrow, a little surprised that they had so many options for blood. Usually she had to go to great lengths to find any, and she would have to kill the person to be able to keep it a secret. Admittedly, the last few drops were always the best, but she didn’t really need a body count piling up everywhere she went. “You are so lucky here,” she said quietly as she rode a little faster, looking up at Artemis’ brother, who had announced that he had heard footsteps. Glancing at Artemis with a smile, she quickly caught up with Baldwin and smiled, “where?” She hadn’t heard anything, but it was true that seeing as he was a full vampire, that his senses were even more enhanced than her own.

Artemis smirked lightly and nodded, glancing around her surroundings. ''You should come move in.'' She mumbled, almost shyly. She wanted her best friend around all the time, be able to protect and cherish her for as much as possible. She was to be a full vampire at some stage and having her best friend around would make possible lonely years...a lot less lonely. 
Baldwin turned at the sight of Amber and flashed her a bright smile. ''Just northwest of us. Go ahead. You can take the first blood.'' He purred and began to lead her a little bit until she could see him. He wanted to know how the redhead would kill, if she was messy or clean, if she was merciful or brutal.

Amber paused for a moment, glancing over at Artemis and giving her a softer look than she usually worth. “Soon,” she whispered, just under her breath. It was odd, that even though she had never considered it the idea of leaving her home behind wasn’t such a difficult one to swallow. After a moment, she nodded softly and said again, “soon.” Then she focused her attention on the direction that Baldwin had given her, and she rode alongside him for a few moments before she stopped the horse. With a silent nod to her best friend’s brother, she handed him the reigns of Nar Rakasa and headed in the direction of the wandering man. With a bright smile on her face, she called out, “excuse me! Are you from around here? I’m a little lost..” The man turned at the sound of her voice, and opened his mouth to respond. Before any sound could come out, however, she had covered his mouth with her hand and swiftly sunk her teeth into his throat. Sometimes she liked to play with her food, depending how she felt, but she hadn’t eaten in weeks and the thought of fresh blood allowed her no time for games. It took all of five minutes for his pulse to start to weaken and she considered pulling away. But instead, she continued and mere moments later, she felt the pulse leave him completely. Pulling away from the drained body, she turned to face her companions, teeth still descended and blood on her lips, concern evident in her eyes as she worried whether killing was allowed. She didn’t want to get them into any trouble. “I’m sorry,” she muttered, “I couldn’t help it..”

Artemis took in the soft gaze, quite startled by it and felt the need to wrap Amber in a tight embrace but she refrained from doing so. ''You are welcome here any time. You'd either move in here..or the De Clermont Castle with the rest of the family.'' She said with a beaming smile. Baldwin stared after Amber, patting Nar Rakasa's neck with the look of awe on his expression. Artemis herself was very, very impressed and found herself loving Amber more. She jumped down from her horse, as did Baldwin and she handed him a handkerchief to Baldwin. ''That was impressive. I will clear away the body.'' She said, the look of pride upon her expression. She rushed off to dispose of the body whilst Baldwin handed Amber the handkerchief, to clean the blood. ''Do not worry. The men who enter these words are simple travellers. No questions are asked when people don't leave it.'' He said, wiping a bit of blood from the corner of her lip.

Amber approached the horses, watching as Artemis rushed past her to where she had left the body. Her entire body felt alight with new blood, all the way down to her fingertips, and she knew that colour would have returned to her pale features. It was always a wonderful feeling after a good feed, and now she felt ready to take on the world. Or at the very least tell Artemis what she’d been thinking. But for now she would just enjoy the rest of their outing and she smiled softly as she took the piece of material from Baldwin, bringing it to her mouth to wipe away the blood. “I don’t know when they stopped mattering,” she said, almost to herself, “their lives, you know?” She laughed a little at herself, licking the last of the blood from her teeth and willing them to return to their normal state. Her entire life, she’d been taught to be embarrassed by her vampirism, and almost nobody in her father’s circle were directly aware of it. “Where will she go with him?” Amber asked, looking back to find that both Artemis and the man had disappeared.

Artemis knew the forest like the back of her hand and she took the body to some ruins with Jack, helping her. Baldwin smiled down at Amber and nodded in agreement. ''It was years ago...around 10 years after i was turned but I will never forget the way I just stopped..caring.'' He murmured and tilted his head, taking a step back to avoid being improper. ''Why did you care when you killed him? Or be concerned that you had?'' He questioned before glancing in the direction Artemis had walked in with Jack and the horses. ''They will go to the old ruins. We are currently at the edge of Tours which is littered with ruins but this specific one has an underground system that lead to an Oubliette. We put the bodies there for whatever animal to eat.'' He explained honestly with a smile.

Amber had presumed that it happened to everybody. That there came a time when one no longer cared about the fact the those they killed had lives and families of their own. “Were you a half vampire before you were turned?” she asked, genuinely curious. She didn’t know exactly how all of Artemis’ family were related, though she generally kept up as best she could. “Oh.. I didn’t want for your family to end up in trouble,” Amber explained, turning her head to look in the direction that Artemis had headed in, “she’s done so much for me. I would never forgive myself if I made anything harder for her.” Nodding her head at the explanation, she figured that it made as much sense as anything else. “Will we meet them there, or are they coming back?” she asked, moving the handkerchief through her fingers.

Baldwin nodded with a smile. ''I am her half brother. My father had another woman years and years ago. He gave her children..so we were all born half and then when we reached a certain age, we were turned full. The women turn whenever they desire, if they want children. I am not sure about Artemis though. Her luck in men hasn't turned out well.'' He said through gritted teeth, clearly angry at Tony Santiago. He then looked over at Amber. ''Our father, Phillipe who you haven't met yet unfortunately, has over 50 children and after Ever was born, Ysabeau was turned fully. He'll find another woman to bare his children when the time is right. The De Clermont's are like an army. And that's only my father's side. We still have uncles.'' He shook his head with a smile at her concern and began to walk into the shade of the forest, the light occasionally dancing on him. ''We handle many things. She'd be able to handle any situation that flew at her but for now, her going to that Island is the best thing for her. I just wish she didn't take that Potter kid. It's putting her at risk and if Artemis brought home a dead body or worse, a vampire potter, hell would break loose.''

''I believe we will meet them there. You might like the ruins. It used to be an old Goddess temple. Artemis in fact or Diana. Either way. It was the huntress' temple. Artemis favours it above all.'' He mused. ''Why did you really come to France?''

Amber choked on nothing at the mention of how many children their father had. It seemed impossible, but she figured that for a vampire who had many years available to them, it would not be too difficult. Still, it surprised her. Was Artemis close with all of her siblings, or only some of them. Did they all live in France? Obviously Ever was still in the UK, but otherwise, where did one manage to fit fifty children? “Artemis deserves the world,” Amber said once she had decided that her questions about the large family could wait, “and don’t get me started on the asshole she was with last year.” Tony had been a horrible boyfriend- possessive and controlling, and it just didn’t suit Artemis. She was too strong for that. The mention of the island brought sadness to her eyes, and she glanced toward the ground as she walked as well. She knew that it was what Artemis had chosen for herself, but she wished nothing more than for her best friend to stay with her forever. She wanted to join Artemis in France, but she didn’t want to go to an island and train. It wasn’t exactly Amber’s kind of thing. “I just hope it works out for her,” she said, “and I don’t understand why she decided to bring her either. Surely a random person would have been more useful, and less collateral.”

Baldwin patted Amber's back, chuckling at her reaction. ''People often get quite shocked at the largeness of our family, belle. But fear not, you would never meet them all. Too many of them are like Jack..They prefer solitude in case they harm another.'' He muttered with a sigh and then glanced over at Amber in shock. ''You really care for my sister don't you?'' He said, his tone soft and full of care. Artemis was a large part of his world. He chuckled at Amber's reaction. ''Apologize, belle. I did not mean to get you angry. Artemis was certainly right to give you Nar Rakasa as a gift.'' He mused with a smile which faded away at Amber's sadness. ''I do hope I did not make you sad...It is to control her blood rage or at least attempt to. She will not be gone long, i promise you. Half a year or so I am sure. I believe she brought her for company. Jack will be going instead of Gallowglass as our other brother requires his assistance in another country.''

Amber laughed, having been pretty sure that she’d never manage to meet many of their family. It was interesting, though, the way that it all seemed to be so formal. That the men were turned into full vampires at a particular age, and that their mothers would join them at some point. Almost like a factory. She supposed that was what Baldwin had meant by it being somewhat like an army. “I care for her more than anybody else,” Amber said honestly, glancing back at the man for a moment, “she’s my best friend. I don’t have any family, so you can’t get any more important than my best friend.” Smiling softly as they walked, she shook her head, “it’s alright. I just hate the way that he treated her. She should have thrown him off of the Astronomy Tower or something.” Shaking her head, she let out a breath and paused. “You didn’t make me sad,” she said, “I just don’t know what I’ll do without her at all for so long. It’s a little scary how much I need her around, really. I’ve always been so independent. But I know she’ll be back soon that I think.”

Baldwin halted, tying the horses alongside Sayad and Jack's horse meaning they were close to the ruins. He found Amber admirable. ''I am..thankful that Artemis has someone so caring in her life. Life in the De Clermont family is not easy especially with the blood rage. She's been a lot calmer but since...Valentina's death, it's been hard on her. I fear that if she ever lost you, she'd be worse.'' He admitted, allowing the moment to show how much he truly cared for Artemis even when he didn't show it before he nodded slowly. ''I am glad I didn't...I would've hated myself for making such a beautiful person sad.'' He said with a smile and nudged the redhead. ''You can always come back to France. I shall keep you company! You could stay in her room to feel close to her. My mother would love to see you again from what I heard.'' He stated, taking her hand to lead her towards the ruins.

“Well, I’m not going anywhere,” she said firmly, “well, except back to the UK for a while. I’d like to come back, though.” She remembered when Artemis had invited her to join her on the island. That was before she’d asked Lily. At that point, she wasn’t sure what she wanted, and so she had declined, instead coming to France for a brief visit. Now, she kind of wished that she had decided to join her, because at least then she wouldn’t be alone. Amber flushed lightly, but waved her hand, “it’s alright. It takes a lot to make me sad. It just so happened that your sister means a lot.” At the mention again of Artemis’ mother, Amber nodded her head and sighed. “She’s a wonderful woman,” the red head admitted, “I wish that I could have had a mother like her. Things would have been so much better that way.” Walking along, she smiled at their joined hands for a moment before looking around, searching for Artemis and Jack.

Baldwin brightened up, now knowing that Amber would visit again and he nodded eagerly. ''You must. You have only seen Tours! Paris is the place to be! I will happily give you a tour of Paris.'' He said with a smile and he nodded once more, running his hair through his dark hair. ''That she is. She has fought many battles and has come out as Queen.'' He said and led her into the darkest parts of the ruin where soft muttering could be heard, words of love and promises and Baldwin flushed darkly. ''Let us give them a small moment.'' He said, his sharp eyes having picked up their hidden figures and he smiled down at Amber, pointed to the covered Oubliette. ''This is an Oubliette. People were thrown down there to be forgotten, often dying from the large fall or they simply starved.'' He said whilst Artemis collected herself, Jack already being at Baldwin's side with messed up hair, a small smudge of lipstick on his neck and a beaming smile. His black eyes had disappeared and now showed a light brown.

“I would love to see more of France,” she agreed, “I’ve heard so much about Paris. I’ve just never had the chance to go.” She was beginning to feel excited about the idea of returning, and she hoped that she would manage the details easily enough. As they approached the ruins, Amber raised an eyebrow, and bit her lip to keep from grinning. “Oh, how.. umm, lovely?” she teased, “it’s interesting though. So much history that I didn’t even know was here.” Turning to Jack, she noticed that he seemed much happier, and she was glad that Artemis appeared to be a lot happier there as well. She didn’t say anything, waiting for Artemis to join them, though she couldn’t keep the smile from her face.

Baldwin grinned, laying a gentle kiss upon Amber's knuckle keeping his eyes fixed on her as a silent promise passed between them. ''I'll be your guide anywhere, belle.'' He mused honestly, lips still on her knuckles. Jack stammered an apology for taking so long and rubbed the back of his head but instantly became much more confident when Artemis appeared, cheeks flustered and eyes blazing. She wrapped an arm around Jack's waist and smiled lightly. ''My brother speaks words of romance but unfortunately, he also speaks words of torture and Oubliettes. Apologies, Amber. Perhaps I should've put you in the company of Matthew.'' Artemis teased and Baldwin growled, unknowingly stepping closer to Amber as if to shield her from Matthew. She giggled, catching Jack's attention who stared down at her fondly. ''Are you still hungry, Amber? We shall hunt longer if you desire. Even if its just for sport.''

Amber squeezed his hand gently, a bright smile touching her lips as she said, “sounds perfect.” Turning to Jack, she shook her head and said, “don’t apologise. It was a nice walk here.” She didn’t mention the fact that Artemis looked as much happier as he did when she finally returned to their view. Amber smirked a little at Artemis’ words and, on reflex, reached out to place her hand on Baldwin’s arm. “Not to worry,” she told Artemis, “torture doesn’t bother me. Though I wouldn’t mind meeting Matthew as well. I’d like to know everyone who you care about.” It was strange how Artemis was so much like a sister to her, that she sometimes forgot that they hadn’t known each other forever. Blushing lightly, she nodded and said, “still a little, honestly. But isn’t Lily waiting for you?”

Baldwin hid his shy look, removing his hand from Amber's and shoved them into his pockets, still remaining close to the beautiful redhead. ''I am glad.'' Artemis stated and raised her eyebrow at her best friend's and brother's closeness with a cheeky grin dancing on her lips. ''Matthew has the second worst blood rage. It is understandable for Baldwin and I to feel protective.'' Artemis explained with a sigh, Jack rubbing the small of her back to relax her. ''Lily isn't at this Manor. She's at another closer to the De Clermont Castle with Marthe.'' Artemis answered, smiling at the thought of her mother's lady in waiting. ''I have told her I'll be gone for a week to do some business in preparation to leave. I cannot leave so many loose ends before I go.''

Amber nodded, somewhat understanding Artemis’ words. She knew that she would have been protective of Artemis in a similar situation, and she had to admit that she kind of like the fact that someone could be protective of her for a change. She imagined that as they were both half vampires, that it was as though they were just ordinary friends. When she was young, the acquaintances she had made were usually so that they could have a friend who’d be able to scare their rivals. ‘Amber can rip you apart’ was not an uncommon thing to be heard, even before she started at Hogwarts. Bringing herself out of her thoughts, she grinned and said, “is it bad that I’m glad she isn’t here?” It wasn’t that she didn’t like the girl, per say, but she had spend a significant amount of time with Mackenzie Riddle and that tended to make people a little less favourable. “I see,” she said, before walking back over to the white horse she’d riding before they’d stopped, “where to now?”

Artemis wrung her fingers together, kissing Jack's cheek before rubbing her eyes, removing the inky black that had taken form. Her stomach growled silently but it was enough to make Baldwin's booming laugh echo around the area. ''It is not a bad thing, belle. It was completely understandable. From what I have seen, I do not feel a great deal of liking towards her..like I do you.'' Baldwin said with a cheeky smirk. ''Wherever you desire to go, Amber. I will need to feed in a second but there are more footsteps just west of our position. A group of people actually...on feet. No horses.'' Artemis said, her head tilting into the air and breathed in sharply. ''Four men and a woman...Merde! (shit!) We must go now. I do not believe good intentions are in the air.'' Jack exclaimed and he glanced over at Amber. ''Are you a good actress? We will need a vulnerable looking woman to distract them from the maiden. We will pull her away and then you may take your pick.''

Amber smiled, glad to hear that Artemis’ brother liked her. It would have been difficult if her family didn’t find her presence acceptable, especially when she wanted to visit again soon. Looking up when Artemis spoke, she frowned slightly and listened as well, managing to hear the group when she focus enough of it. She looked between Artemis and Jack, before nodding, “that I can do.” They approached the men and woman, and without saying anything, Amber slipping out from the trees and rushed over to them, not even looking to see what was happening. “Can you help me?” she asked, her voice a little higher than usual, her expression almost frantic, “I’ve been walking around out here for hours and I can’t find my way back to town.”

Artemis smirked in delight, her eyes turning slowly in the soulless black pits and her hunger took control. She climbed into the trees, jumping and weaving between the branches until she hovered above the group watching Amber's superb acting. She grinned madly and tilted her head, her curls falling into her face as she moved closer to the end of the branch. They had a naked woman in their arms, shivering and bleeding from being beaten on the way. ''Well of course we'll help you little lady! Yeah, we'll protect you. This place is bad for a lonely woman like you.'' One of the men snickered, staggering in a drunken way. Artemis jumped behind them silently and picked one off, dragging him behind a tree to feast, having muffled his cries. Baldwin and Jack did the same until it was just one man and the woman left. Artemis snarled, face bloody and she sprinted off into the distance to refrain from further damage. Jack nodded at Amber to take the kill, having already caught the attention of the woman to keep quiet.

Amber offered a sweet smile to the man who had answered her, avoiding looking at the woman that they had with them. If she looked, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself, and so instead she kept her innocent eyes on the staggering man, until she saw each of his friends disappear behind him. Finally, she let her gaze shift to the woman, who’s blood overwhelmed her senses, though she felt no desire to drink from her. Removing her jacket quickly, she tossed it to the naked woman before advancing on the man, this time making no effort to remain calm. He didn’t deserve painless, she told herself as she moved toward him faster than any normal person could. Gripping his hand, she dragged his wrist to her mouth and tore into the flesh there. It took her longer than normal, and she purposely kept herself between the man’s wounds and the already frightened woman. When she finally decided that he’d had enough, she sunk her teeth into his jugular and finished him off. Disappearing into the trees for a moment, she dropped the mangled man onto the dirt before returning to the woman, reaching out and wrapping her jacket tighter around her. “It’s alright. I've got you,” she whispered, glancing around in search of her companions.

The woman shivered gratefully, clinging onto Amber for dear life whilst Jack and Baldwin cleared the bodies. ''That was very well done, ma biche.'' Baldwin complimented and nodded towards Jack who grabbed the woman's elbow to take her away. He took her to the edge of the forest, too focused on the woman to notice they were being stalked by Artemis. It was too late anyway. Artemis had wrenched the woman out of Jack's arms, snarling and ripping the woman's throat open drinking at her blood despite no longer being hungry. Jack tried to pull her away but Artemis simply flung him, far too focused to get the blood. After the now mangled body fell to the floor in a disgusting heap, Artemis breathed in and took in the scent of Jack, who sighed. ''Mon chérie...'' He whispered and dragged her back to the others, Artemis drenched in blood, eyes like a shark's and a snarl in replace of her usual curve of a smile.