chasing the starlight, lucrezia

[ARTEMIS EMERSON BAYLOCK]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S WORTH IT ANYMORE The Words: 473 The Notes short but.. just for now. Throughout the course of the day he had done his very best to be completely inconspicuous. Of course, this was no easy thing to accomplish when someone was always ready to hover over your shoulder and ask questions. It had been several years now that he had been given his position. It had even been passed down to him from the man who had once been in charge of the lab but even so the rest of the people working in the building often questioned Artemis Baylock. Catching a break was never in his schedule it seemed but over the years he had become a pro at faking grins and catering to the every need of the snoopy visitors… with biting sarcasm and stabs at their intelligence. It was the least he could do for them. To his relief, at the evening pressed in the academy had started to empty out, leaving Artemis alone in the room and assumedly most of the building. Some light from the descending sun still fell through the windows but by now he had lit several candles at a desk and was busily scribbling notes onto a pad, thumbing through a book all the while. His bright eyes flashed whenever he gazed toward the book, catching in the flicker of the candles, and despite still being technically at work his hair was a mess. Though it was short, his dirty blond hair showed that he had obviously been pushing his hands against his skull all day long (more than likely out of the frustrations of being distracted). Artemis’s stare finally stopped going between his writing and the book. He managed to wipe the seemingly permanent scowl from his face as he caught the last few colors start to fade to blues. With a light sigh he dropped his hands to the wheels of his chair and pushed away from the desk till he was before the window. Slender fingers then pulled a cigarette case from inside of his coat and produce one of them. He put it to his lips and lit it shortly after. It wasn’t long till he felt the relaxing effects of the nicotine. Sadly, this did very little to completely calm his nerves. It seemed like Artemis was always somewhat… annoyed. He excused it by assuring himself that the people he had to work around were terribly bothersome. Several curses were already stirring in his mind when he reminded himself of them. All was quiet in that moment. There were no footsteps, no bubbling of random chemicals brewing, and no voices breaking the silence. Artemis thought that he would have found something like this peaceful. The quiet only seemed to make his thoughts scream at him ten times louder though and whenever he was left with personal thoughts he was anything but at peace. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[LUCREZIA DALIA DE LIS]

[atrb=border,0,true] [style=margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 10px; width: 380px; padding-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; font-size: 23px; font-family: arial narrow; color: ffffff; background-color: 7A5C68; text-shadow: #000000 0px 2px 2px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: -2px; font-style: italic;"]you know you live to break me [/style][style=margin-top: -10px; margin-right: 10px; width: 170px; height: 240px; overflow: auto; background-color: ffffff; font-size: 10px; font-family: arial, calibri; text-align: justify; padding: 5px; color: 0c0c0c; line-height: 100%; float: right;"]They told her women weren't meant to have an education. Women weren't intelligent, not as intelligent as men. Women were homemakers, house wives, baby makers. They cleaned the house and took care of children. And if they were wealthy, they told the maids how to do it and sat on their asses all day. There was no use for a woman in the working world, they said. "Your feelings will get in the way," they said. The only feelings Lucrezia had was anger. And disgust. She was much smarter than any males she had ever met. She knew how to play several different instruments, how to read and write perfectly, and even knew a little math. She could very easily compete with any Oxford graduate. But it didn't matter, not anymore. Lucrezia had all the money she could wish for, handed to her from her deceased parents, though it had been sitting in a vault for quite awhile. And her quest wasn't for gender toleration. It was to get her damned wings back. Lucrezia highly doubted she would ever be an angel again, especially because she was not so nice on earth, but she couldn't help it. Being a seraph, it was difficult to be kind. She had to love all mankind, all creatures made under His name. Yeah, no. Lucrezia abhorred almost any man she ever met, and she wasn't much of a dog person. Go figure. But it was those thoughts that got her in trouble. Who was she if she couldn't have an opinion (and of course she was very opinionated). Lucrezia had something to prove when she stepped into the Academy of Inventors. She had, tucked under her arm, an invention of her own. Rather, a blueprint of one. It wasn't anything extraordinary, but enough to hopefully recognize her brilliance. So long had it been squandered, wasted in a rich social life, and only reminisced about in a permeable love life. How he would taunt her, tease her about her little drawings. He never meant any harm, but most often than not, Lucrezia would subdue her inventing to be with him. It was both parasitic and beneficial. But as Lucrezia entered the threshold of the academy, Dirk's voice echoed through her mind. How he would look through her scrapbook and make a suggestive sort of laugh. It was cruel, yes, but perhaps one of his only flaws. He didn't think she was stupid, by any means, but men of that time only believed that men could be inventors. Silly? Certainly. But almost two-hundred years had passed since then. Women nowadays were so much more than what they were. The heiress strode confidently through the halls of the school, searching intently for the right room. She was hoping to find some sort of council. Instead, she stumbled toward the end of the hallway, where her eye was immediately drawn to a shiny contraption. Lucrezia took a few paces through the doorway, stealthily and silently. She inspected the large, metal machine and the human sitting upon it. She had been gone far too long. But she knew what it was. The dirty cripples used it to gain sympathy, or at least, that was how she saw it. A grin smeared across her palette. A wicked, mischievous grin. Lucrezia quietly stepped over to the man. With just as little sound, she crept behind him and snatched the cigarette from his hand. She eyed it, as if she had never seen it before. "I just can't stand to see someone smoking. Why, try walking in my shoes, and thinking about how I feel having to smell this awful thing?" She handed the cigarette back to him. "Sit there and think about that for awhile." Then she made her presence very known to him, and with it, a colossal, smug smirk on her face. Torturous? Maybe a little bit. But everyone needed to laugh at themselves. Otherwise, it was just unhealthy, to take everything so seriously. And if he didn't laugh, well, she was still going to. It wasn't often that she stumbled across a man in a wheelchair, so she was more than obliged to make fun of him. MICHAELA @ CAUTION 2.0 MADE THIS TEMPLATE.

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[ARTEMIS EMERSON BAYLOCK]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S WORTH IT ANYMORE The Words: 539 The Notes she's very very terrible. Artemis took another long drag on his cigarette and closed his eyes, watching the light fade from behind the lids. The quiet moment was snatched away from him as soon as it came (but wasn’t that just typical with his luck?) and Artemis was quick to react with a sudden flinch. He drew in a sharp breath and closed his eyes again to calm himself. There was no use in acting on surprise or worry since he knew very well in his position that defending himself would be useless. What the hell would he do? Run over their toes and hope for the best? He may have despised his predicament but Artemis was far from being an idiot. So even if his heart had started at an unsteady beat and he felt the uneasiness of being helpless, he kept his calm and opened his light eyes again, an annoyed frown on his lips. That was how he’d take it. No overreactions. It was the voice a woman, but it was no less daunting than if it had come from a man. No matter the gender of someone they would still be looking down at him and they would still assume he’d need their help. Not to mention she sounded like an intolerable witch. When the cigarette was handed back to him there was no hesitation in taking it back. He let it twirl in his fingers a moment and dropped his gaze. He would wait for his company to make herself more known to him before he spoke back to her. For the moment he did not take the harsh comments to heart but mostly so that he would not let anything slip off of his tongue. Anger had a tendency to make his mouth work much quicker than his brain did and Artemis was never a fan of hardly thinking. She slipped out before him and he continued to keep his gaze down until she was well in front of him and still. It was then that he let his stare lift up and look to the dirty blond who was mocking him so freely. The light eyed alchemist did nothing at first but offer her a very obviously peeved grin. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to someone taunting him for what had become of him. He could not deny to himself the sensitivities he felt over it but he also did not enjoy someone belittling him so smugly. It was despicable. “Obviously you’ve come to the right place,” he breathed finally, still twirling the cigarette between his fingers. He looked thoughtful. “Anyone who can make such clear observations obviously has found a place at the academy…” He trailed off and nodded to her papers she carried with her. “Already have perhaps? Oh, but that’s not my business so please carry on and find someone else to amuse.” Artemis waved his hand dismissively and placed the cigarette back between his lips while dropping both hands to the wheels at his side. He backed away from her then and pushed over toward the table where he deposited the cigarette into an ashtray. “The academy doors will be locked up soon so I suggest you finish your business quickly.” created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[LUCREZIA DALIA DE LIS]

[atrb=border,0,true] [style=margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 10px; width: 380px; padding-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; font-size: 23px; font-family: arial narrow; color: ffffff; background-color: 7A5C68; text-shadow: #000000 0px 2px 2px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: -2px; font-style: italic;"]you know you live to break me [/style][style=margin-top: -10px; margin-right: 10px; width: 170px; height: 240px; overflow: auto; background-color: ffffff; font-size: 10px; font-family: arial, calibri; text-align: justify; padding: 5px; color: 0c0c0c; line-height: 100%; float: right;"]Finally, someone she could look down upon. She could very easily tip the guy out of his chair or roll him down a large hill. It was somewhat empowering to know that she could do either of those things, and he couldn't do a damned thing about it. However, she wasn't that unkind. Lucrezia did find a laugh in it, at least in her imagination. But he was probably already very aware of the situation he was in. There was no need for her to make it worse. But this crippled man did not have to make his annoyance any clearer to Lucrezia. It was undeniably apparent on his features. Though she knew it was not a good idea to upset someone who probably worked here, her less-than-kind soul was hellbent on pressing the issue further. That was, until he gestured to the papers under her arm. Needless to say, she was a bit chagrined. She did not come off seeming like a very serious pupil. Then again, she did not have to impress this man. It wasn't likely that he was the dean or any office like that. Lucrezia clutched the papers tightly with her opposite hand, and pulled them from under her arm. She held them up to her eyes, just examining them for a moment. A grin of success spread across her visage. She was quite proud of her work, but as she lowered the papers, her face returned to her pouty scowl. Lucrezia was unsure whether or not this paraplegic meant business. For some reason, Lucrezia got the impression that he was very disinterested in what she had to say. Though, that certainly didn't stop her from asserting her authority. As he wheeled away from her, she strode ever so smugly to him, and rested her weight on the back of his chair. She bent forward slightly and let the papers drop in his lap. "You know where everything is at. Why don't you present these to whoever is in charge at this place?" she questioned matter-of-factly. Lucrezia pushed herself off of the wheelchair then, and came into his line of sight. Her expression had completely shifted now from mocking to concern. Her teal optics rested on him with more of a gentleness, and with less of the criticism she had before. In a very stern, but frigidly disconcerted voice, she plainly asked, "So what happened?" It seemed like a reasonable question, and though she left much of the context out, Lucrezia was sure he would understand right away. She knew nothing of this man. Did she care? No, not really. Lucrezia didn't need a reason to ask a question. It was like that on earth, it was like that in the angel's den. She was wealthy on earth, and a guardian in heaven. She had authority over both planes. But Lucrezia had lost intrigue in his predicament. The longer her eyes lingered on the papers in his lap, the more she wanted to search them over again, just one more time. They couldn't be too perfect! She shifted uneasily, her attention focused very intently on the papers, like a dog eying a treat in its master's hand. Though, like a puppy, she was quite untrained and simply snatched them right out of his lap. "On second thought, perhaps I should tweak these a bit," she said, almost inaudibly, as if to herself. She could have ranted and raved like a madman, but decided to keep her criticisms to herself. Her mind frothed with the sneers and jeers of her testosterone-filled peers. They had actually gotten her to believe that nothing she would ever do was good enough. And her conscience certainly told her this, but her heart debated about it. With much ado in the inner sanctums of her mind, she finally laid the papers gently back in his lap. Her expression was thoughtful, though lost in her mind. "Actually, they're fine. Just forget anything I've said, including those awful things about how you are crippled and all." MICHAELA @ CAUTION 2.0 MADE THIS TEMPLATE.

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[ARTEMIS EMERSON BAYLOCK]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S WORTH IT ANYMORE The Words: 779 The Notes she's very very terrible. Her presence was not leaving. He could feel that she was still there and he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was there merely for no other reason than to taunt him. It amazed him that someone could find the time in their day to make someone else’s life more horrible than it already was. It made him shake his head and roll his eyes. Was this what this world was coming to? Oh, but who would he be kidding then. If anything, this world had been bad from the start and it was sad to say that society only got better. They weren’t running around like animals, after all. A light weight fell to his lap and Artemis was slightly surprised to find the papers he had questioned there. A single brow cocked but he made no move to hastily hand the strange visitor her papers back. He shrugged away the fact that he was less than interested in her scribbling and whatever else was happening on the parchments and feigned a brief interest by flipping through them with his thumb. The information on them hardly registered and even after letting his eyes falsely skim over the papers several times Artemis still did not know what this woman was about. But, truly, he could not have cared less. Still, he made the false impression of being impressed though it was hardly for her benefit. Before she had even finished speaking Artemis was already shaking his head with amusement. She couldn’t really expect him to do that for her? He had no reason to help her. It wasn’t as though she had made a stunning first impression nor was she some well acclaimed academic! She wasn’t even any kind of student as far as he was concerned. This woman had no idea of what she was doing. As a matter of fact, he doubted she even knew who he was or exactly where she was in the academy. He could already just feel that brilliance radiating from her. The alchemist finally raised his stare again as she asked her question. He still looked utterly disinterested in her but managed wry grin. “My legs stopped working,” he answered simply, obvious disdain in his voice. The subject was not one to dwell on though and if anything she had only brought it up because of how obvious it was. If there was one thing he had decided it was that most of humanity lacked any kind of sympathy or understanding. He was simply a crippled man and had he not been self sufficient (and a good deal stubborn) then he very well may have been stuck in a slum or, probably, dead. Artemis watched her inner turmoil and was surprised that his patience was holding up as long as it was. He did express surely from the time that she had arrived that he held little interest in holding a conversation with her, did she not? Well, if she had missed it then Artemis made point of it now by sighing and bringing a hand up to his face to tap the fingers against his chin. Finally she had placed the papers back in his lap… not that it had made any difference to him. He still didn’t want anything to do with them or her. Perhaps he should have left early today. He gave a curt laugh after her decision. What a way with words this one had? Obviously her head was so far up in the clouds and her own self-interest that she couldn’t wrap around how constantly pointing out someone’s disability could be rude. “Well then, how kind of you,” he told her, still grinning from his amusement. “Excuse me while I force the memories away.” Artemis mindlessly took the papers up out of his lap and dropped him to the table near his side. “But I even so I’ll have nothing to do with your… your…” –he waved his hand toward the paper- “whatever it is you’ve done. I’ve no interest.” Having that said and the papers no longer looming before him, Artemis backed his chair away from her and then turned it away to go to gather up his own things at his desk. He gathered a ring of keys and pocketed them before shutting a few of his own things up into a case which he promptly set on his lap. “If you’ve really got an interest in it then you’ll manage on your own,” he called over toward her, whether she was listening or not. “Though I do suggest that you come during the more appropriate hours and perhaps after a lesson in etiquette.” created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[LUCREZIA DALIA DE LIS]

[atrb=border,0,true] [style=margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 10px; width: 380px; padding-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; font-size: 23px; font-family: arial narrow; color: ffffff; background-color: 7A5C68; text-shadow: #000000 0px 2px 2px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: -2px; font-style: italic;"]you know you live to break me [/style][style=margin-top: -10px; margin-right: 10px; width: 170px; height: 240px; overflow: auto; background-color: ffffff; font-size: 10px; font-family: arial, calibri; text-align: justify; padding: 5px; color: 0c0c0c; line-height: 100%; float: right;"]She was just all a mess. Couldn't he tell? That was the only reason she was spouting off hurtful things. Granted, she was always fairly hurtful, but she felt it was somewhat deserved, after all she had been through. Being slowly poisoned to death? Yes, that was fun. Getting booted out of Heaven? Equally as fun. The best part was having her wings removed. Oh, what a worldly, earthly sort of pain. This man had no right to trample all over her aspirations. In fact, it was quite impossible for him to trample at all! Didn't that involve the movement of legs and the use of feet? Oh, it was those thoughts that got her here in the first place. But, honestly, Lucrezia was very weary of being rejected, and now to be rejected by a man in a wheelchair? What a concept! But he hadn't blatantly, out-right rejected her. She had only seen it in his eyes, in his voice. He had every reason to be upset with her for mocking his... handicaps, but he couldn't be too biased. Being biased made for a bad... teacher, or whatever he was. Lucrezia could hear the distaste in his tone. Right, that was to be expected. She should have felt remorse for her past actions, but, if anything, she felt somewhat wronged. She worked so hard on those blueprints, only to be criticized by another of the male species. But she wasn't sexist. It was just coincidence that everyone who scolded her happened to be male. Was she intruding on their territory or something? Did it have to do with the lack of testosterone she owned? A foul pheromone, perhaps? The angel watched with yearning eyes as he turned away. They lingered on him for a moment before spotting her work sitting lifelessly on the table. Giving a slight exhale of disbelief, she bolted to her papers and clutched them close to her heart. Lucrezia pivoted on her heel to reprimand him with an icy stare, but was distracted by a simple tool. A cleaning supply. A broom tucked effortlessly in the corner of the room. Lucrezia didn't hesitate at all to grab the broom and place it through the spokes of the wheels of his wheelchair. He wasn't going anywhere, not until she was finished speaking. "I don't need anyone to tell me how to act proper," she told him in the most defiant voice. "I believe we can both appreciate a fresh start, though, right? I know I don't seem like a very nice person, but I would be much obliged to remove the broom if you would at least consider handing these over to someone with authority in this place." Lucrezia put her foot on the handle of the broom jutting out of the wheel so that he wouldn't try to remove it himself. "And I'm terribly sorry if I seem pushy. You know, putting up with two hundred years of idiotic people can really put someone over the edge." She wasn't always so... coarse. Maybe, subconsciously, she disliked handicapped people. Maybe the shiny contraption threw off her mentality completely. Or maybe it was just so easy to take advantage of them, that she couldn't help herself. What would the other angels think of her? She was so... demonic. She might as well sprout horns and those nasty bat wings. It made her shudder. Lucrezia, thinking about how she resembled a demon, removed the broom without any reply from him. She dropped it on the ground next to her with a look of complete disdain. "Just nevermind, I'll come back sometime else." MICHAELA @ CAUTION 2.0 MADE THIS TEMPLATE.

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