บท 21: Chapter 21
-[Liam]-
Artemis was fun, he affirmed something he already concluded a while ago as he made his way back home.
Upon his arrival in this world, he subconsciously treated it like it was all still fictional. Maybe he still did, on some level but with each day that passed, the realer it got.
People weren't just shapes of ink on paper. If that's all they were then that also made him just a shape of ink on paper, something he refused to accept as true.
To summarize, he had fully acclimated himself with this life, no matter how screwed up it could be sometimes.
He barely needed to pay full attention as his legs already knew the route back home, his focus only returning as he realized he was at the door.
Wasting no time to get it open, he walked in, his mind returning to his ordeal at the shelter.
'There were around thirty people from what I could guess. That's barely a fraction of the homeless or orphaned population in Gotham.' He thought with a sigh as he settled down.
Bruce wanted to fix Gotham by putting on a costume and beating up thugs. While that was certainly an odd approach, it came with its own pitfalls. He was merely dealing with the products of the problem and not the source.
Poor people who have no choice but to turn to crime to put food on the table. Those same people are also forced into criminal service with people like Cobblepot, Riddler, Bane and other criminal elements.
Liam opted for a different approach to help Gotham's people, giving them a reason to stay within the law without threats of broken bones. It might be even harder than Bruce's crusade but nothing worthwhile came easy.
In the middle of his thoughts, he paused, his ears catching the near silent opening of his window. With narrowed eyes, he made his way to the window, seeing a person dressed in a familiar black garb, a sword on their back.
'The league of shadows?!' He thought, bewildered.
As soon as they saw him, they rushed straight at him. Unfortunately for them, they were unaware of his capabilities, leaving them surprised when he blurred forward to grab the intruder by the neck and slammed them into the ground.
Tilting his head after a moment, he realized his assailant was unconscious.
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-[Charles Binn]
-[A member of the league of shadows. Lacking direction early in life, he was approached by Sensei to be indoctrinated into the organization. Finally finding purpose in the ways of the shadows, he serves the demon's head with utmost loyalty.]
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Before he could internalize what he read, he picked up an odd sound, causing him to look back to the window where another figure jumped through.
This one was more familiar than his first intruder.
"Artemis?" He questioned with a raised brow.
Her eyes visibly widened in shock at his use of her name. To his knowledge, she hadn't debuted as Green Arrow's sidekick, probably because she hadn't met him yet.
"You must be mistaking me for someone else." Artemis said, trying to salvage her identity.
"Right." He drawled with a roll of his eyes. "Do you really think I wouldn't recognize you just because you're wearing that?"
She looked like she wanted to curse herself but she pressed on. "You did that?" She asked, gesturing to the unconscious man.
"Do you see anyone else here?" He quipped, prompting a glare from her. "Close the window, will you? Before another cosplay breaks into my apartment."
"I'm not cosplaying." She ground out, shutting and locking the window despite herself. Turning back to face him, she saw him easily dragging the assailant by his leg with one hand. "I didn't know you worked out."
"You should see me do push-ups." He said, pulling a chair and dumping the man into it.
There was an awkward silence for a few moments as Liam got a few belts to strap the man to the chair.
"So, you're part of the capes and tights crew. Since when?" He asked, despite already knowing.
She looked away, rubbing her neck. "It's complicated."
Cue another awkward silence before she spoke up. "How did you figure out it was me?"
He gave her a look that said 'really'. "We spent most of today together but to be honest, the eyes gave you away."
Before she could read too much into it, they were interrupted by the sound of choking.
"What?" Liam muttered, turning the bound man who was now convulsing.
Immediately tearing off the mask, he found a blank look on the man's face and foam in his mouth.
"Cyanide pill." Artemis spoke up helpfully. "He's dead." She added a bit quieter.
A grimace formed on Liam's face as he looked at what was now a corpse. Covering his face with his palms, he paced around a bit, letting out forceful breaths.
He hadn't seen a dead body in a while. He'd dealt with cadavers in his first and second year of med school but he hadn't seen those before they died and they definitely didn't die in front of him.
"Liam?" Artemis called from the side, grabbing his attention. "You alright?"
Releasing a forced sigh, he spoke. "I don't know. I really don't."
They were silent for a few moments before he began again. "How did you know they were coming for me?" He asked, his voice solemn.
The look on her face was hesitant, apologetic and most of all, guilty. She took a step back as his eyes burrowed into her.
Then she spoke. "They're not after you, not really. They're after Vincent. They thought that since you two are best friends, they could find out what they need from you." Her tone was quiet.
"How did they know?" Liam asked, his voice calmer than ever.
-[Artemis]-
She messed up. She knew it, it was over.
"How did they know?" Liam asked once more, calmer than she had ever seen him be.
She couldn't help the guilt in her as he looked at her that way, his eyes asking for the truth. She wanted to say that she didn't have an answer.
The words were on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't speak. Somehow, she felt that if she said that, she'd lose a lot more.
"They hired me to get them information on Vincent." She started, her eyes closed. She couldn't bear to see his reaction. "I asked you to meet me today so I could try to get something from you but I chickened out. Turns out, they were watching us. They waited for me at home and let it slip that they were going to come after you."
The apartment was deathly silent, with her eyes closed it was all she could focus on.
"Who's they?" Liam asked, in the same blank tone that caused a pricking sensation in her closed eyes.
"My dad."
If he didn't already hate her after all that she said, he definitely would now. She didn't even know why she told the truth. Maybe it's because she got tired of running. Maybe it was the very tiny part of her that still had hope she could finally find someone who she could be herself with.
A very stupid part of her.
"I see." The same blank tone.
Yeah he hated her.
"I'm sorry. I'll just get out of your hair. You can call the police if you wan-" her despondent words were cut off as she felt him grab her with his inhuman strength.
'I'm the worst person.' She thought, fighting the heat in her eyes. Her eyes snapped open upon feeling something soft on her masked forehead.
Confusion set in as she realized what it was but not believing it. Finally looking back at him, she saw him pull back his head before another realization set in
He was hugging her. Why?
His eyes bore into her own, non judgemental eyes staring back at her. "Let's go find Vincent." He said softly.
The dam burst as he pulled her face against his chest. She shook, all the emotions she held pent up pouring out.
Why?
Why didn't he hate her?
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