"Well, we've made it. This is a surprisingly dramatic looking room, wouldn't you say?
From the motif in the windows and the throne, I'm guessing Artemis favors a more... traditional art form than me?"
-@swapverseconstance
I'd think so. Very foreboding presence, yknow? Not throwing shade or anything, I just really enjoy the aesthetic.
I wonder how much this place would sell for.
"No idea, never been big on the housing market."
Connie looks around, taking in the decor, and freezes at the distant sound of a heavy door creaking open.
"Seems the Lady of the house has returned. Do you think it'd come across as aggressive if I was sitting in the throne when she gets up here?"
I think it'd be rather menacing, or at least slightly.
You could also hide around a corner and appear behind them dramatically.
I wonder if Prof and Phys are done fucking up that party yet..
"I don't wish to upset her- well, more than my mere presence will at least. I think I'll kneel."
She does so, lowering slowly and carefully so as to not make much noise. Her wings spread across the ground, bathing the area in a subtle pink glow.
"Alright, she's coming."
Soon enough, Art appears at the spiral staircase, stopping in her tracks as soon as she sees the invaders.
"Who the hell are you, what are you doing in my Bastion, and why are you kneeling? Wait, Prof? No, you look different... are you Doc'?"
We figured we'd finally meet the fabled Artemis after hearing so much about her! How was the party? I hope the breaking of physics didn't scare you too much.
{Doc' leans against the side of the throne}
Love what you've done with the place by the way. Amazing aesthetic.
"It was confusing, and stressful, and put me really on edge. So not exactly in a great mood to find out a doppelganger and a hulking monster have broken into my home!"
She cautiously reaches for her hip, and cringes as she realizes again that she didn't grab her pen when she came back from the party.
"Woah, woah, no need for hostility, I came merely to talk. My name is Constance, although you can call me Connie, and as I understand it, I am... you, from an alternate universe."
Connie raises her hands peacefully, inching back as her wings draw closer around her.
Doppelganger? How harsh!
{Doc' stands up straight, holding his hands to his chest dramatically}
I'll have you know that I'm much more than just a copy!
{He chuckles to himself before turning to face Artemis properly, leaning a hand against the throne's armrest}
But in all seriousness we do just want to talk. We're a little concerned about this whole.. situation here.
"What 'situation'? What are you on about?"
"You know exactly what we mean. Your pointless machinations against, what was her name? Genny? The former contingency. You obsess over her, unhealthily. Believe me, I understand, but it needs to stop."
You've pushed your friends away for the sake of a cause that's no longer there. If we want this to have a good ending, efforts have to be made now.
{He looks at Connie, then back to Artemis}
All you have to do, is give us a chance, to just hear us out.
"I- u- fine. I'll listen, if only because I'm at a disadvantage. Give me your spiel."
Art glances around defensively, and takes a few steps towards Connie
"It's not just a 'spiel', it's a warning, and a promise. In my world, it seems my role was switched with my equivalent of your Gennifer. I was the one who wreaked havoc and despair, and the contingency became utterly consumed in her desire for vengeance. Even now, the reason I am in this world is because I was trying to escape her onslaught. I am not saying I don't deserve her cold, seething hatred; no, I couldn't begin to explain the pity and guilt I feel for what she has become because of me. But I do not wish for her to achieve her goal, for I fear what may become of her afterwards. And I want you to be spared her fate, Artemis."
Even as Connie sags with regret, her gaze cast at Art's boots, she still towers imposingly over her, like a broken, abandoned building creaking in the breeze.
{Doc' crosses his arms, occasionally glancing between the two}
The Contingency of our world was the last line of defense, albeit an unexpected one. She bought us enough time to resolve the situation. Connie might've given our world a chance, to see the good in it, but The Contingency didn't.
{Doc' looks at Artemis, making eye contact, before continuing.}
What was once our savior was now a crusader. She would go to any length to kill whoever damaged her world, even if that meant hurting whoever happened to be in the way.
{While Doc' spoke with a straight face, his hands tightened around his arm as he spoke.}
Even if they were her friends.
"I... why are you telling me this?" Artemis steps back, unnerved and unsure, looking back and forth between her interlocutors.
"Because, can't you see? You're heading down exactly the same path as her. And, in a way, heading down a path very similar to mine as well. I can see it in your eyes, I read it in your mind amidst the endless chatter." Constance makes a sound that could perhaps be considered a laugh as Art balks for a moment.
"Yes, Artemis, I can peer into your mind. It is easier for me than it would be for others, I imagine, since our minds are rather alike in many ways, and I am computer assisted, so I can scan your mind almost as quickly and easily as my own. I knew the twisted familiarity you felt when you gazed upon my disfigured face, when you saw past the augmentations and recognized yourself. I'm trying not to pry, but I can sense that you know more than what you wish to admit to yourself."
You know something is up, and I have a feeling it has to do with certain voices. Contingency always had ill will against those who even remotely opposed her mission, but something else was driving her hatred of Connie, using it for themselves.
Artemis, your hatred for Genny blinds you from the harm you're causing, and some people will take advantage of that, because as long as you're blinded by rage, you won't see what they're doing behind the scenes. A perfect tool to get them where they wouldn't be otherwise.
"But I- N-no! I'm supposed to be the good guy! I was supposed to be the hero..." Art starts to shut down, childishly returning to the same trite claim yet again, as if it were some kind of excuse. She backs away, unable to come up with further arguments.
"Perhaps you were once a hero, and perhaps you will be a hero again. But keep in mind, Artemis, I thought I was a hero of sorts when I tried forcing everything to be the same as the concept art envisioned. I convinced myself completely, and it was a long time before anyone was able to convince me otherwise. I did many horrible things in that time, things I cannot forgive myself for. I need you to understand, child, if you continue as you are you will do things you won't be able to forgive yourself for either. What if you hurt your friends, like the contingency did?"
