I was supposed to have a thread with Giselle, but I'm not sure if Noe is ready for it or not, haha. So if you grab this, Noe, it's for you! But if someone else wants to grab it, totally fine. 632 words.
It was not a common place for Artemis to be, the library of the manor, though she had passed by its doors more times than she could count. Its entrance had never beckoned her, and she had never been interested in its contents before now. Even now, she stood outside the door with her hand wrapped around the handle, an apprehensive feeling washing over her. This was not a place she usually went, and had only ever been in there once; she felt as if she was intruding upon someone else's space. The library did not belong to anyone specifically, she knew, but she could not help but feel sorely uncomfortable about going inside.
The silver-painted Marino took a deep breath, pushed the door open with a little more force than was necessary. She peered around her guiltily, looking to see if she had disturbed anyone that was already in there, but it appeared that she was, thankfully so, alone. It was stupid of her to be worried and nervous about being in the library. She had just as much of a right as anyone else in the pack of Dreamers did, and the daughter of the Consul knew that. Perhaps it was simply that she did not often read (though she could, she had simply never gotten into it like her brother had), and so she felt as if the books did not suit her at all.
Or maybe there was a deeper meaning to the feelings of guilt that plagued her. Her sisters were both capable medics, and Cambria was particularly skilled, but the silver girl had noticed that both had become more reclusive. Amata was less so than Cambria, who had not seemed to recover fully from what happened to her during the war. After finding Blaise in such a poor condition, and thinking back to her own accident last winter, Artemis had begun to think about what it meant to know how to heal others, to help them when they needed it most.
It had never occurred to her before, but then, nothing really had. Artemis had spent the majority of her life with no goal and no direction of what she wanted to do in the pack for the rest of her life, though there was no doubt in her mind that she needed to find something. As long as there was a Crimson Dreams, she would belong to it. Only if the pack disbanded would she find herself seeking a new home. That meant that she needed to find something useful to do for the pack, something to dedicate herself to that would benefit her family and her pack.
So perhaps that was it, she mused as she began to scan the shelves, unsure of what books she should even be looking for. Perhaps she felt guilty coming in here because she was fearful that her sister would be angry with her if she found out that Artemis was trying to learn how to heal, as well. What if Cambria thought that her young sister did not think she was capable and was not grateful for all of the treatment that Cambria had provided during her prolonged sleep, the coma that resulted from her fall? The girl did not want her sister to think she was unable to do her duties. All she wanted was something to do with her life, something that would mean something to the pack. That wasn't wrong, was it?
She sighed, pulling a dusty blue book from the shelf and brushing away some of the dust from the spine. "First aid..." she mused, flipping open the book to look over the first page, hoping it could help her decide if this might be a useful book. Instead, she sneezed violently. Twice.
I'm sorry to have kept you waiting <3. Had a long day at work but I wanted to post this x_x; Also, I assumed they met once briefly during the wedding ceremony? Let me know if you want me to change it!
Word Count → 534
When I'm awake, I'm still dreaming.
Winter changed everything, Giselle knew. She awoke each morning to watch everything fall victim to a blanket of snow, losing all colors but whites and icy blues. It was nearly fitting for the land of the Dreamers, yet a soft sigh would slip from the woman's lips at the frozen fields. The once sparkling lake would now be a frozen sheet of ice, the large trees with their magnificent branches showing their deciduous signs, as snow occasionally toppled from their naked arms. Even the sweet smelling earth, soft under her toes, would by now be cold and packed solid under winter's breath.
It would be the dark haired woman's first winter within the manor, and though the pale femme knew that she would be warmed by its sturdy walls, the love of her mate and the comfort of the Dreamers, Giselle would dearly miss the outside world. Its sights, sounds, and smells were all dulled by ice, and the world's precious creatures had retreated to find their own shelter and warmth until springtime. As pretty as the snow was, when the wind grew too cold or too fierce and forced her to stay indoors, the woman felt at a loss of what to do.
A sudden desire pulled her from her desk, the need to feel productive making her jump from her seat. Glancing towards her stoat whom lay curled in his corner, she clapped her hands together. "I bet we could cook something nice and warm today!" She exclaimed with a smile on her face, receiving a squeak from the animal in bright agreement. Determined not to let the cold season get her down, the young woman and the stoat that followed at her heels made for the kitchen. Her form stopped suddenly, however, as Giselle put a finger to her lips in thought. Unaware of what the Dreamers had stored for the harsh season, and wanting to make do with little, her steps took her instead towards the library.
"I'm sure there's a book that will make things simpler," she noted aloud as the chocolate stoat snaked its way up to her shoulder. Rounding the common room, Giselle's steps towards the library were natural, having crossed the threshold into a new world dozens, or even hundreds, of times. The open door was nothing out of the ordinary, as the young woman began to mumble aloud some simple recipes she may be able to use. It was only until 'Elle was near the shelf that she noticed another there, examining the spine of a book. "Oh!" She took a step back, nearly stumbling over herself, but regained her balance. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't know anyone else was here~" Her words were polite, though the room was open for any and all Dreamers at any time of day. As her form turned to retreat, powder blue eyes caught the other female's features in their depths, and had to pause once more. The woman looked like someone Giselle had set eyes on before, not long ago, and nearly felt embarrassed for her forgetfulness. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but.. I believe I've met you before," she said, fingers curling into her chest absentmindedly.
Though she was nervous and feeling guilty about being in the library for the purpose that she was, Artemis lost her ability to focus on her surroundings when she opened the book, scanning the first few pages with her soft blue eyes, so similar to her intellectual father's. That was their only physical similarity, but she enjoyed knowing that it was there. Her mother did not pass on anything so obvious, but the daughter had adopted a light Italian accent from her mother's normal speech, and she greatly enjoyed the language itself, as well. Artemis often felt like this, as if she was someone completely foreign, too dissimilar to her parents.
As it was, the silver Dreamer was not paying any attention to her surroundings when Giselle entered the library in a flurry of figurative sunshine and daisies, and the young Marino found herself inhaling sharply when the other exclaimed her surprise at finding Artemis. As she was about to answer, the cream-tipped female continued to speak, and the Italian female's ears lowered briefly. Of course it was understandable that Giselle would not recognize her, as they had never formally met and when the wedding had happened, the other female had been busy, to say the least. Still, it was disheartening to not be recognized by her own brother's new mate, even if the fault lay just as much with her as it did Giselle.
"I'm Artemis. Silvano's sister," she added bluntly, though it was not intended to be rude. It was likely that the silver girl would have recognized her even without that as a factor, simply because, while she was fairly isolated in her social activities, the girl recognized the faces of her pack mates easily. "What brings you here?" she asked, light Italian accent more noticeable as she eyed the rodent on Giselle's shoulder warily. It unnerved her when others kept pets, for whatever reason.
When the woman introduced herself, powder blue eyes grew wide. "Oh!" Her hands flew to her face, covering a gasp that she already ushered out. "Oh, I'm so sorry~" The color of embarrassment painted Giselle's cheeks as an ivory hand reached out to touch the woman's arm gently, in a hopeful sign that the other woman would forgive 'Elle's forgetfulness. "It's wonderful to finally meet you.. again.." She added the last word with a bit of uncertainty. The ceremony itself - while beautiful and white and everything she could dream of - had also left the dark haired femme to forget many names of whom she met that day. They were important, of course, for they were now family - including Artemis, now - but gaiety had swallowed all other senses.
There were some signs of blood relation between her new mate and Artemis, but the most obvious was the snowy woman's romantic accent. Giselle smiled at the question, and mentally made a point to get to know the woman better - they were family now, a course that ran deeper than from one packmate to another. "Well, it is rather cold outside, and I thought I might cook something warm for the Dreamers." The stoat wrapped around his caretaker's neck like a scarf, beady eyes trained on the other woman. Giselle giggled as he moved, feeling the tickle at the back of her neck. "Tux and I were hoping to find a good cook book in here. .. What's that book you have there?" The dark haired princess inquired sweetly, her thoughts jumping from one subject to another in a heartbeat as she gazed down at the book between Artemis' fingers.
It was completely understandable that she might not be recognized immediately, and for a moment, she regretted the tone with which she spoke, a bluntness that had not been intended tinting her words. Artemis could not help but laugh a bit, shaking her head. “No, don’t apologize,” she said through the bit of giggling. “Really, I know your… ceremony was a busy day for you, and we haven’t really met any other time, so don’t worry about it.” Speaking of the ceremony felt strange, as it had been a bizarre experience to attend for the young Marino that preferred her four-legged form over the one with only two legs. While some of the Dreamers, like Giselle and her brother, were comfortable with all of the human traits the wolves had picked up, Artemis could not help but feel as if she were more feral than they were.
Brows rose at the mention of cooking for the Dreamers, something else that Artemis found bizarre at best. She knew how to cook meat over a fire, of course, but nothing spectacular like anything that you would find the recipe for in a book. It was yet another thing that separated her from the more humanized luperci that called Crimson Dreams home, but it was not a true separation. They were still a family, whether they would rather walk on four legs or two. Before she could answer, though, Giselle asked a question that prompted the silver Marino to look down at the book she still held awkwardly in her hands, and she realized that she was still holding herself a bit stiffly, still uncomfortable in the unfamiliar room of the manor.
“Oh… A book on first aid,” she said, almost a bit nervously. “I just thought I’d read up on it a bit… After I found Blaise, I decided that maybe I could learn about healing. But please don’t mention it to anyone,” she added hastily. “I haven’t told anyone and I don’t want Cambria or Amata to think that I don’t think they’re good enough. I just wanted to do some reading I guess.” Why did she feel so guilty about that?
Even as the woman giggled to Giselle's comment, the Lictor still felt a bit uneasy. Concern painted her wavering eyes as she looked into Artemis' face, a soft smile given in the silvery one's direction in remembrance of her own ceremony. Giselle truly wanted to know Silvano's family, for they were already her own when she became a part of the Dreamers. Only now it seemed to be of extra importance, an effort on Giselle's own part to be accepted into her mate's family and relatives. The petite woman nodded, if only to assure herself that she would make the time to know Silvano's large family, Dreamers or otherwise.
It was then that Artemis looked down at the book she held, seemingly feeling out of place within the room. The topic of the book had the mahogany haired girl curious to know more, but before she could inquire Artemis began to speak quickly, as if confessing something deep within. Somewhat wide-eyed, Giselle waited until the Marino woman finished, and then shook her head, loose curls bobbing. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone~". The woman's mention of the pup, Blaise, made her heart flutter, and she offered an understanding smile. "Oh, I met Blaise not long ago. She's a lovely little thing." In fact, since meeting the young pup, Giselle could not stop thinking about puppies. It was only natural that Artemis would feel the same - 'Elle could only assume.
"Don't let me interrupt you, then," she said kindly, stepping away towards the nearest bookshelf. The woman seemed nervous, like the snow white female had caught her doing something wrong, but there was nothing wrong with learning something new. "In fact, I would think they'd want to help you, if they knew. Cambria helped me once, when I needed her." Merriment swam in her eyes as she glanced at the companion on her shoulder, remembering the wound she had healed for the stoat as well as the young goat. The femme turned her attention back to the bookcase, then. "I haven't seen her or Amata around, lately.. oh, but I'm sure they're busy taking care of those in need."
632 words. 
