eye of the tigress

[tiigrxss]

She was just waking up, but she wasn’t in the batcave anymore-- that’s the last thing she remembered. Now, she was in a room in what she assumed was Wayne Manor, eyes blinking open as she oriented herself. She could feel that she was on some sort of pain killer, though figured it was best at this point. as she moved her head to the side, her eyes landed on Roy Harper right beside her bed. She blinks, a little surprised, but pleasantly so and smirks, “All good,” she assures, though her voice sounded exactly like she’d been sleeping for hours now, an inevitable consequence. she reaches for the water next to the bed, trying not cringe as she moves, “back now though.” [ @rcdarscnal ]

[tiigrxss]

The adjustment had begun without her doing more than waking up in Wayne Manor. She was grateful that Bruce was letting her stay, but there is no denying that she was restless. So, as soon as she could, she was walking around the property. At least being on her feet was a welcome distraction from... literally everything at the moment. she wanted to see her team, all of them, but she knew it was going to be a long process with potentially many not trusting her, since she’d come back from being undercover. If only the reasoning in her head, the confidence in her choice a year ago, was present now, what a help it would be.

She shouldn’t really be surprised to see others here at a home that is not hers, but perhaps it’s her thoughts she’s pulled out of that really surprise her. She smirks at Tim, giving him a timid wave, “long time no see,” perhaps if the painkillers weren’t still helping her a bit she could form a better greeting, but she still tries to be a bit less callous, knowing it’s the least she can do, “how’ve you been?” [ @reddestwings ]

[rpsourcedmemes]

Ask my muse anything you want on anon!

[tiigrxss]

hello ! friends !! artemis is back from undercover and I’d love to plot where it’s been a lil tougher before. so, like this for a starter, I’d love to get some things going for her. she’s an injured bug right now but rest assured her famous sass is just a like away~

[tiigrxss]

Despite the amenities that came with Wayne Manor, Artemis couldn’t really hide the extent of her injuries while bandaged up. in bandages, and the tanktop she wore hung lose around her collar, where the new X slash was beginning to heal. Her torso is padded, legs are covered, and wrist wrapped securely. She sat on the bed with a book, closed once she heard someone coming. At seeing Gar, her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but she smiles, even if it is a little nervous, “Hey,” she greets, gesturing him in, “sorry,” she blurts out, unsure where to begin, “I... I don’t know what you know, but I’ll answer anything now. no more lies. I’m back.” [ @bcastiebcys ]

[tiigrxss]

@superwcman sent;  ‘ i’m glad you’re being strong about this . i know how hard this is , i know how bad you feel . ’

She can’t help but look away from Lois, blinking several times. Her naturally direct way right into the core of what Artemis was thinking unnerved her, though in truth it wasn’t like she could put up much of a front at the moment. All the energy she had was going into not moving as much as possible, and then recovering from the stabs of pain she felt when she did. What energy wasn’t being used for healing was directed as sorting out what was happening now. Her cover was blown, there were so many unanswered questions, she had no way to know if Croc was alright or implicated... and yet, Lois Lane had the most direct way to stab at Artemis’s core. Tears well in her eyes, and when she blinks to push them back, they only fall out. she resists any sobs, knowing her ribs would not enjoy, but she can’t choke back her tears as she stares at her knees, covered by some luxurious blanket in a room in Wayne Manor... but with only the two of them, she finally closes her eyes, letting the tears fall freer for now. Holding them back was too painful now.

“Was it even worth it?” she asked, still staring at her knees. Deep down, she knew she helped people. She knew she prevented crimes from ever taking place. She protected a number of people she’ll never be able to know... but the lifeless body with her own bolt sticking out haunted her mind. She finally looks up at Lois, tears running down her face silently, a helpless expression she would allow few others to see, “Was I just looking for some excuse to go back? Maybe Dick just should have left me.”

[tiigrxss]

@fooliewithdaredhoodie sent:  The words that you said were, "lets take this bitch down!"

She cringed as she laughed softly, leaning against the counter in Wayne Manor, healing from her wounds after Dick had saved her. Sure, any breath she took hurt with her broken ribs, but to laugh with a friend right now? Well, it’s something the woman hadn’t gotten a lot of after being an undercover villain for a year, “Yeah, sounds like me,” she admits with a bit of a shit-eating grin, sipping water gingerly. She gestures to herself vaguely, “and then sometimes, bitches take you down,” she quips wryly.

[tiigrxss]

bcywcndr‌:

Dick has been dreading this call. It’s the last thing he wants, the last thing either of them need. The implant was meant to be used only in the case of an emergency, only of Artemis felt her cover was blown and/or her life was genuinely in danger. That’s why it’s there. Dick doesn’t like it, but he trusts her to be able to make that call - and the fact that his comms are going off with Artemis’ emergency signal, her GPS locator immediately going off with a guide coming up automatically in his mask’s lenses to show him where he needs to go, makes his heart race and his stomach drop.

She’s in trouble. She’s in goddamn trouble and he needs to find her now.

In truth, she felt foolish for getting caught unawares by them. Had she been prepared, had the advantage, she could have taken them. But even as her mind tried to figure out who sent them, the thought seemed to fade in and out of focus. Any focus was difficult for the woman at the moment, her head seemingly filled with cotton as it throbbed, as her whole body throbbed.

Glass shatters, and Artemis smiles, though the image is rather grotesque, blood covering most of her face. But, as the familiar shape landed in the room, relief flowed through her, "Now you're fucked," she spat from her place on the floor, though unable to do much else. In fact, as Dick goes to work on her assailants, she's suddenly quite aware of how badly she's injured.

A few years ago, what seemed like a lifetime ago, Artemis began a journey through med school. Of course, she didn't finish, but her expertise in fighting along with school made for a great awareness of her body and when it was and was not working. As she scans, she realizes how the world is spinning; not good. Her fingers and arms work. Her legs, though throbbing from flesh wounds, are unbroken. Her middle though, each movement brings a grunt or a groan from the woman on the floor, pain searing through her torso each time. She thinks she counts two broken. The main concern is the blood loss. Able to see the slashes in her uniform, she’s very aware this will make for an interesting scar, though it’s not a thought she can hold onto for long. 

With a pant, she turns her head to see the mace being swung, and it takes a great deal of energy to shout "back!" In an attempt to warn him. But that itself seemed to sap energy from her, and she lays back again. She lets her eyes slip closed then, panting quietly on the floor. Each shallow breath ached. She hears the banter going on next to her, but she can feel her head swimming now. She knows logically that passing out was bad here. That the blood loss was dangerous now, and it was imperative she stay awake. But then, even that thought seems to slip away as she seemingly feels herself float on something like a cloud...

And then, her mind drifts off, thinking of the people she'd been wishing she could properly see for months now. She thinks of Zatanna and M'Gann, two of her best friends, both of which were under the impression she'd left them. Her mind brings her a comforting image of her and Gar once again sitting on a roof, talking about life. This image melds into flashes of training together, of throwing jabs back and forth with Kon... And finally her mind turns to Wally. He knew now, sure, but would he forgive her? Would he even have a chance to forgive her? She's fading deeper and deeper into a seemingly comforting abyss, full of images of her friends everywhere...

That is, until she is quite literally pulled awake again by Dick. The world comes back into focus, and she opens her one good eye to see him, followed by a groan as he moves her. She smirks though, trying fruitlessly to seem more okay than she very clearly not looking.

"awake. Got it," she cringes and grunts, "ah-- ribs. Two... Three?" She couldn't remember the number she counted just moments ago, "I can walk," she says without actually Knowing if she would stay awake. She blinks a few times, even brings a hand to try and wipe the blood from her bad eye so she might use it, but it's clear from the swelling there's no chance of that, "bring it," she answers about being moved. She wanted nothing more than to get out of here. He gets her bag with bandages before she can even gesture to it. She's so painfully slow, it would infuriate her if she could comprehend it.

"I dunno who--" she can barely get a sentence out without gasping in pain, and she grits her teeth, hissing as he presses into the cuts on her torso, "ah!--" and as she twitches away, her eyes land on the body that hadn't moved since her two bolts found their target. The angle was bad, but she saw one sticking out from his throat. He was laying in a pool of blood.

"no..." Her eyes trained on the lifeless body, she grunts as she tries to move to it. It's instinct. She has to help. She must. "he--" suddenly, it's the most important thing to her to make sure he's alive, so she swats Dick's hand away and points to the body "him! Go make sure--" she gasped in pain, able to get no where. But she knows. Her mind knows this man will not take another breath. She reels, not laying still as adrenaline seems to shoot through her body yet again, "I didn't think-- just... Shot... Fuck!" She exclaims, tears now mixing with blood. But finally she lays back again.

It had been but a few minutes since she was reading Alice in Wonderland in the corner, and now she had a dead man on her conscious. An entire year's worth of work was blown, and she didn't even find out who they worked for. She lay feeling useless on the floor, staring up at Dick, not realizing one hand was grasping him as if to anchor herself awake. To anchor herself to living, because without Dick Grayson, Artemis knows she would be dead or sorely wishing she was by now.

“We need to go-- before more come,” it was her greatest fear now, “couldn’t check the rest of the house.”

[tiigrxss]

@realwhenitsuseful sent  ‘ the only way to fail is not to fight, so you fight until you can’t fight anymore . ’

She doesn’t look at Bruce. Her eye was still swollen, though it looked better now that it was healing, and she was able to see out of it. she knows she looks bad, and though she moves gingerly for the sake of her ribs, she still sits tall with her chin stubbornly proud. After a long silence, she finally glances at him, “So you understand then?” she doesn’t know where to begin to explain herself, but with that statement, she wonders if he’ll be as angry as she imagined, “why I went back, made myself fit in with them again?” If she didn’t visibly cringe every time she moved, she’d lean closer to him, imploring Bruce to understand. There isn’t a doubt in her mind: Ollie and Bruce were the two people she owed her place on her team to, so she wants him to understand, “I could help fight in a way others couldn’t. I had to try.”

[wllcewest]

bcywcndr‌:

“Burger joint next time, I promise.” Dick says with a weak smile, but his heart isn’t really in it. He has no idea how Wally is going to take this news or just what’s going to come next, but he knows it’s not going to be easy to get him to accept everything Artemis has been doing. And really, Dick won’t blame him for that. He has every right to be mad, but.. he hopes that some part of Wally will be able to understand. Or at least try.

He opens his mouth to answer the question only for Artemis to answer it for him, moving out from her hiding space and coming out to explain herself, and Dick knows there’s no point interrupting. All he can do is wait and listen, let her get it off her chest before he speaks up himself. “I found out after I came back. I’ve.. been her handler ever since.” Dick says with a sigh, rubbing the back of his head. Ever since he found out Artemis was undercover he’s known that keeping this from Wally was a bad idea. He knew it was bound to end badly - and beyond that, Wally’s his best friend. The last thing Dick wanted to do was to hide something else from him. “The last few months I’ve been trying to convince her to tell you, Wal.” He reaches to rest a hand on Wally’s shoulder, hoping to offer him some kind of reassurance. “I’m sorry, Wal.” [ @wllcewest

“What is this?” Wally is suddenly on edge seeing Artemis come out of the shadows. He doesn’t know how to feel about the news that was dropped on him. What was he meant to think? He’s not sure if this would be the most rational way of dealing with it, but they’ve known for months? This entire time, and no one bothered to include him in on the plan? His entire world got thrown upside down when Artemis left. “What? Hold on, why did everyone decide that I couldn’t be trusted to know about this? You both let me become convinced that she was a villain. Do you know how upsetting it has been to try and get over you?” His gaze looking over at Artemis, feeling his heart break just a little more. “We were friends once. I wish we could go back to the old days. We told each other everything back then.” He looks down at his feet, wondering how he could be so STUPID to not see any of this coming.

“I know I’ve been busy, but I could have helped. I know how to keep a secret. I could have been included.” Wally doesn’t look up then, biting down on his lower lip as he’s still processing it. He doesn’t move, and doesn’t push Dick away as his eyes look back at the two of them again. His best friend, and then he isn’t sure what to call his relationship with Artemis anymore. “Do you guys not trust me?” [ @tiigrxss​ ]

[tiigrxss]

All the fight is gone from her tonight. She can’t help but feel this is a bad idea, but Dick’s reasoning has finally gotten to her to agree. Where Artemis Crock is usually hard and quick with her sass, listening to Wally speak simply made all the fight, all the hardness, drain away. Though Dick certainly has seen Artemis in moments like this, Wally is easily the most familiar person when this shift happened. She folded her arms around herself, as if she was cold, though the chill in the air had little to do with it. Her voice was quiet and soft, “This was me and A.R.G.U.S.-- don’t be angry with Dick. Wally-- I trust you with my life,” it was an understatement, and indeed part of her mind continues the thought with and I’m still not over you, but she takes the tightness in her chest at the thought as instinct to hold back, to certainly not go there now, but she knows that privately, it is the truth. in her mind? she wishes she could go to him, as she would have before, but she knows she lost that right a long time ago. She catches her hesitant half-step forward, holding back, arms still around herself, “but I’m the only one that has the history to have done this right. and... the timing...” her eyes drift to Dick for a moment, knowing she was confirming that his ‘death’ played a huge part in this decision in the first place, “Things fell into place with A.R.G.U.S. after Dick, and there was a tactical advantage I couldn’t pass up. The more people that knew, the more likely I was going to wake up with a knife to my throat... but Dick’s right. I’ve been stupid not to let some of the team-- especially you know.” 

She looks down to the ground a moment, but she tries to meet his eyes when she speaks. The respect is ingrained in her, and she knows Wally deserves so much more, “I’m sorry. You don’t have to forgive me, but... I’m sorry I hurt you, Wally.” [ @bcywcndr ]

[tiigrxss]

kingcrocc‌:

Gang Gang || Croc & Tigress

“Better be, you,” he snarled lowly, reptillian gaze fixed on the female before him. “He told me some, yea,” Croc replied vaguely, crossing his massive arms over his broad chest. “What I got for you?” He echoed, chuckling. “What questions are you asking? And as who?” Croc couldn’t help but wonder how good she was at leading the undercover lifestyle. To live and work alonside people of Croc’s caliber.

“You needa build rep, meet the people you need your info from on some good terms or whatever you caped crusaders wanna call it… You needa way in and some muscle to keep you safe?” Croc asked with a teasing grin. “Some sponsorship of sorts.” Shrugging his shoulders, the metahuman relaxed. “Before we even consider this, no matter how much he vows for you, you needa understand something: so long I put my face for you, you don’t break,” Croc warned.

Her decision that led her to this moment, though she didn’t know it at the time, was one born of emotion, or at least, the avoidance of emotions. Having Dick ripped away from existence had hit Artemis harder than she would admit, and though it did not register to the archer that had been trained for years to push away weakness, she was withdrawing from the people she needed now... all in the name of doing good. 

“I keep myself safe,” she says stubbornly, though she relents the next moment, “but... yes. I need connects. The goal is to strategically disrupt and gather intel. the quicker i get set up with a couple mid-range coordinators, the quicker I can find their bosses,” she’s far from unintelligent, and the years being raised by Sportsmaster and Huntress sure came in handy in knowing her strategy. In truth, her parents are why she was the logical choice... as some liked to sneer in her face, once a villain, always a villain, so she may as well use the assumption to help people out. she took a step forward, gaze hard, filled to the brim with confidence, “I don’t break,” she stuck her chin out, “you set me up with people that need jobs. put in a good word,” and her hard gaze slides into a cocky smirk. though she understands the gravity of the situation entirely, Artemis Crock knows she can do this, and she knows she will play the part well, “and I’ll take it from there... thanks, by the way. I wish he’d stay out of it, but,” she shrugs, and though she won’t mention Roy by name here, it felt good knowing he still had her back somehow, “well, I’m sure you’ve argued with him somehow before. You get it.”

[littlelovelymemes]

(    *    & .    —    GREY’S  ANATOMY  SENTENCE  STARTERS .

‘  what  was  i  to  you ?  the  girl  you  screwed  to  get  over  being  screwed ?  ’

‘  you  were  like  coming  up  for  fresh  air .  it’s  like  i  was  drowning  and  you  saved  me .  that’s  all  i  know .  ’

‘ am  i ?  … dead ?   ’

‘  i’m  glad  you’re  being  strong  about  this .  i  know  how  hard  this  is ,  i  know  how  bad  you  feel .  ’

‘  not  everybody  has  to  be  happy  all  the  time .  that’s  not  mental  health ,  that’s  crap .  ’

‘  it’s  not  a  screw  up ,  it’s  a  miracle .  ’

‘  please  don’t  cry  on  my  ass .  ’

‘  what  do  you  need ,  an  “ i  love  you ”  or  something ?  i  love  you .  call  me  when  you get  there .  ’

‘  oh , yay !  someone’s  hurt .  ’

‘  pick  me .  choose  me .  love  me .  ’

‘  i’m  just  not  ready  to  forgive  you  yet .  ’

‘  go  on ,  just  get  it  all  out .  all  the  tears .  ’

‘  i  intend  to  fight  like  a  girl .  i’ll  let  them  kill  each  other  and  then  i’ll  be  the  last  one  standing .  ’

‘  well ,  isn’t  this  cozy ?  can  i  join  or  are  you  not  into  threesomes ?  ’

‘  if  i  went  missing ,  would  anyone  notice  i  was  gone ?  ’

‘  that  is  rude  and  unkind  and  completely  true .  ’

‘  so ,  i’m  bisexual .  so  what ?  it’s  called  lgbtq  for  a  reason .  there’s  a  b  in  there  and  it  doesn’t  mean  badass .  okay ,  it  does ,  but  it  also  means  bi .  ’

‘  can  you  go  have  sex  with  him  and  make  him  be  nicer ?  ’

‘  i  don’t  know  what  i  am ,  but  i  know  that  i  am  not  happy .  ’

‘  it’s  okay …  to  be  tired ,  right ?  ’

‘  i  don’t  know  who  i  am  anymore .  not  someone  i  ever  thought  i’d  be .  ’

‘  i  believe ,  if  you  were  dead ,  the  world  would  be  a  better  place .  ’

‘  don’t  let  what  they  want  eclipse  what  you  need .  ’

‘  he  is  not  the  sun .  you  are .  ’

‘  he  can  go  suck  it !  i  am  the  sun .  ’

‘  did  he  visit  “ ladytown ” ?  because  i  find  if  they  don’t  go  down  to  “ ladytown ”  the  first  time …  there  should  be  no  next  time .  ’

‘  i  need  more  liquor ,  i’m  not  ready .  ’

‘  uh ,  this  bottle  is  empty ,  are  there  more ?  bottles ?  ’

‘  i’m  all  alone  and  i  have  nothing  and  no  one  wants  me .  ’

‘  let’s  do  it .  let’s  make  a  baby ,  right  now .  ’

‘  is  it  true ?  did  you  punch  a  homophobe ?  ooh ,  unexpected .  high  five !  ’

‘  we’re  adults .  when  did  this  happen ?  and  how  do  we  make  it  stop ?  ’

‘  you  think  i’m  broken ?  fix  me .  cause  i’m  no  quitter .  ’

‘  i’m  not  happy  and  bubbly .  i’m  dark  and  cloudy .  ’

‘  you  never  think  the  last  time’s  going  to  be  the  last  time .  you  think  there  will  be  more .  you  think  you  have  forever ,  but  you  don’t .  ’

‘  no  one  is  leaving  and  no  one  is  dying .  ’

‘  everyone  is  leaving  and  everyone  is  dying .  ’

‘  the  words  that  you  said  were  “ lets  take  this  bitch  down . ”  ’

‘  that  was  the  tequila  talking .  ’

‘  the  only  way  to  fail  is  not  to  fight  so  you  fight  until  you  can’t  fight  anymore .  ’

‘  from  now  on ,  you  can  expect  that  i’m  gonna  show  up .  even  if  i  yell ,  even  if  you  yell .  i’m  always  gonna  show  up ,  okay ?  ’

‘  it’s  not  true …  it’s  not  true .  he  takes  the  truth  but  he  twists  it  and  changes  it  to  fit  his  own  story .  ’

‘  you’re  my  person .  if  i  murdered  someone ,  you’re  the  person  i’d  call  to  help  me  drag  the  corpse  across  the  living  room  floor .  ’

‘  you  are  my  favorite  person  on  the  planet  and  if  we  are  meant  to  be  more  in  this  lifetime  it  can’t  start  with  you  cheating .  ’

‘  are  you  plotting  a  murder ?  a  nuclear  attack ?  it’s  fine ,  i’ll  get  on  board ,  i’m  sure  you  have  a  good  reason .  but  just ,  let  me  know .  ’

‘  you’ve  said  that  word  so  many  times  today  it  doesn’t  even  sound  like  a  word  anymore .  ’

‘  who  here  feels  like  they  have  no  idea  what  they’re  doing ?  ’

‘  too  many  people  have  seen  me  naked  already .  i’d  like  to  keep  whatever  dignity  i  have  left .  ’

‘  we  screw  boys  like  whores  on  tequila .  ’

‘  i  want  another  chance .  i’m  so  in  love  with  you .  ’

‘  i  know  you  have  a  boyfriend .  i’m  saying  you  could  have  a  husband .  ’

‘  your  boobs  are  perfect ,  your  hair  is  down  to  there .  if  i  were  you ,  i’d  walk  around  naked  all  the  time .  ’

‘  i  believe  that  in  the  face  of  overwhelming  evidence  to  the  contrary ,  we’ll  all  be  okay .  ’

‘  your  choice ,  it’s  simple :  them  or  me ?  i’m  sure  they’re  really  great ,  but  i  love  you .  ’

‘  i  get  it ,  okay ?  i  get  it !  you’ll  be  okay ,  you’ll  be  fine ,  but  what  about  me ?  so  don’t  do  it  for  yourself ,  do  it  for  me !  ’

‘  i’ll  never  be  able  to forgive  you  for  making  me  love  you .  ’

‘  when  your  life  is  sucking  you  get  drunk  and  sleep  with  inappropriate  men .  it’s  your  thing  or  whatever .  i  find  it  charming .  ’

[tiigrxss]

the only personal item she allowed herself to bring on this mission? a copy of Alice in Wonderland, small and easily stashable, and nothing that would raise any suspicion. she loved the book, and sometimes found other books to read, but for tonight she came back to it. alone ( or so she thought ) in the abandoned property she would call home for the night, she read of Alice’s adventures through Wonderland.

that is, until the floor creaked outside the door of the room she sat in. in an instant, the book was down and her hand was on her sword, crouched and poised to pounce. just as she grabs her crossbow and stands, the first of eight people trail into the room. when she scrambles back, sinking into a defensive stance in the corner, she realizes very quickly that not one of them intends to let her leave. her intent of using the back room as a safe place had backfired, and Artemis Crock was cornered.            [ @bcywcndr ]

“What is this?” Tigress growls in her corner, poised and ready.

“The end of your line,” she doesn’t recognize the voice... at least she doesn’t think so.

“We’re gunna send you back to your friends,” if her mask did not cover her face, all would see the color drain from it.

“piece by piece they’ll get’cha,” she’s been found out, there’s no way around it now... and no escape

“’cause piece by piece, we’re gunna show you just what happens to traitors...”

they close in, and though she manages to sink two bolts into one person, dropping them, the next moment she feels her crossbow ripped from her hands by a whip, lashing her hand on the way. Seven.

as three reach her first, her bleeding hand closes around her blow pipe. her sword sweeps out at them as a hard blow into her pipe sends a dart flying at the one handling a mace. though it hits his neck, it isn’t before the head of the mace is coming swinging towards her, grazing her leg as she dives out of the way. Six.

the other two lunge at her, and though she feels her sword scratch something, it isn’t enough to stop the blow with a large bat to the leg that was now bleeding, sending her on her left knee. she swings again and knocks the bat back, only to leave herself open for the whip to wrap around her left ankle. she feels her swords slice flesh, hears a scream, but she’s yanked to the ground, losing grip on her pipe and sword. 

on the ground, hands empty, now surrounded by five foes, she brings a hand up to the side of her head, exactly where Dick’s implant was. if ever there was a time she needed backup, it was now.

both legs are throbbing, the whip had torn her skin so her ankle was bleeding, but Artemis was powerful, and she kicks out, her life absolutely depending on it. She feels contact with something and sends someone stumbling back, which gives her just enough leverage to push herself back... only to be caught by two of them. she can see now that the thug with a bat got slashed across his leg... but he also held her sword instead of the bat now, and he was angry. 

her arms are caught, and though she kicks desperately, there’s only so much she can do before she feels weight on her legs too. though she’s held down, she never stops struggling, even as the man brings her sword down on her, slashing across her middle and her upper right arm, and again the other way, creating a large X that begins to bloom across her torso. 

Artemis screams out, enraged. she’s thrashing now, and she manages to free an arm and a leg for a moment, ceasing the blows with her sword. however, it only brings blows in the form of kicks with heavy boots. two limbs are freed, but rendered rather useless when a kick to her stomach knocks all the air from her lungs, stars appearing in her vision, which distract her until another blow lands on her face.

she moves on instinct, hand wrapping around the leg that kicked her and yanking so the person falls. her arms are screaming, and blood is everywhere, but she manages now to quite literally claw at the person in her grasp, the sharp points on her suit sinking into flesh as she pulled them down, through the muscle of his leg. this one won’t walk alone. Five.

she’s yanked away though, hands around her legs dragging her back to four that wasted no time in landing blows across her body. she’s overwhelmed by it, and though Artemis Crock was quite literally molded to take blows, conditioned to be the best fighter from the time she was a child, even she has her limit. 

there are a couple cracks in her torso that force her to cry out finally. the broken ribs are what release the block in her throat. she cries out, loudly and shockingly, a moment later, the blows stop. she doesn’t hear the command of the woman with the whip, can barely see it through the one eye that did not have blood pouring down from a blow to her brow, quickly swelling shut, but she hears the whip. knowing she will get no where, she looks and reaches out an arm towards the window, trying to drag herself away. she hears them laugh, and thinks that if she can distract them just long enough, perhaps she can get out of this alive...

[wllcewest]

bcywcndr‌:

After everything that happened at the event, everything Artemis had to see and everything Wally has been going through, enough is enough. He’s not letting them tear themselves apart like this anymore. Artemis might thing she’s been doing the right thing in protecting Wally from what’s going on, but at the end of the day it’s doing more harm than good and if he and Roy know, Wally deserves to know too. Hell, he deserves to know more than anyone else does.

And he can’t watch his best friend suffer anymore. It’s just.. it’s not right. It’s not fair, and Dick’s not letting it happen anymore.

“Thanks for coming, Wal.” Dick says as he sees his friend appear, offering him what he hopes is a reassuring smile. Abandoned warehouses in Gotham always have a weird, spooky sort of effect but it’s the easiest way to go around unseen, and Dick cased this place about five times before deciding it would be a reasonably decent place to meet. Especially considering he gets the feeling this isn’t going to go so well. “There’s.. something we need to talk to you about.” [ @wllcewest ]

Wally doesn’t know what Dick wants to talk about, but this had to be a sketchy place to meet. He stops in the middle of the abandoned warehouse, red hair falling over the red mask over his face. He tilts his head as he looks around the room. “You couldn’t have talked to this at my house … or at a burger joint? This place is so dark, man!” He says as his hands place on his hips. He has a bad feeling about this, but hopes that this will prove him wrong. 

“I’d do anything for you.” It takes less than a second, but he’s next to the other man with an arm positioned on his shoulders. 

The next statement makes his mood drop, and he’s suddenly worried about whatever it could be. “Who is WE? What is this?” Wally steps back, the smile fading to something resembling a scowl. He doesn’t see anyone else here, so they must be hiding. [ @tiigrxss​ ]

[tiigrxss]

At first, it was emotional necessity. Her decision to go undercover was born of grief, and she could admit that now. Dick had been dead, and she'd been unsure of her place for a while before for one reason or another. Lots of feelings seldom looked at and rarely given air time then, let alone for the past year, have begun bubbling to the forefront since Dick returned, aided by Wally's rescue from her own recklessness, and then again by thinking they were all dead. It was that that changed everything for her. She didn’t know what her future held at the moment, but she knew she couldn’t keep hiding from one of the most important people in her life.

“It’s me,” her voice is soft as she steps out from behind the thick support column she was standing behind, it holds a certain exhaustion to it at this point, now that her guard is down and act is no where to be seen. she rips off the band-aid, going into the explanation without wasting time, eyes cautious, measuring his reaction as best as she could “last year, when I left... I went undercover. I’ve been feeding details on where will be hit, useful information, stuff like that. It made sense that it was me,” she felt awful trying to convince him that what she did was right, because she could barely convince herself anymore, “and I guess-- I don’t know,” she huffs out a breath, pushing her hair back though it was already in a neat ponytail, “I used to be able to rattle of a list of reasons of why it was a good idea to not tell anyone but,” she flops her arms to side helplessly, “nothing comes to mind now. Dick’s poked holes in every single one. and on Halloween I saw--” she blinks, holding back her tears stubbornly. no, those were for later, so she redirects, shaking her head, “it’s not worth it anymore. this lying, it’s not worth it... I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” [ @bcywcndr ]

[tiigrxss]

after the debacle that had been halloween, Artemis was more than eager to assure that her head was in this game, so she took a job. now, under normal circumstances, she would have steered clear of the more... final jobs surrounding people. she didn’t want to kill, but she also know her cover was in danger. she knew her past, both with her father and with the team, was under harsh scrutiny. her pain priority was to prove herself, and if that meant offing one criminal that pissed off another... well, there were far worse things she could do, in her mind. [ @ofthepenguin ]

so now, she hid in the shadows of gotham, on the stoop of a door which she held propped with her ankle, waiting for Oswald Cobblepot to show himself. the plan? snatch him from the street he was known to walk and finish the job inside, where there weren’t wandering eyes. she took no pleasure in this, and would not be considering this if she wasn’t more aware of the threat she faced if she didn’t double down. of course, she didn’t stop to think if she could handle doubling down-- after all, she had to. no, now she simply watched, sharp eyes seeing everything in sight even with her phone out as a cover, waiting for Cobblepot to pass her trap so she could pounce.

[lovey-kun]

I became bitter and untouchable. I craved affection but even the mere thought of someone caring made my stomach turn.

(stay away but come closer) // mxe. (via lovey-kun)

[tiigrxss]

bcastiebcys‌:

He didn’t want to do this. He could feel his heart aching, the way that they were supposed to be a team. She was supposed to be good, goddamn it. She wasn’t supposed to fall into those tendencies and there was a brief interrupting thought that maybe they were the ones that failed her. That he didn’t help her during those times that she mentioned her struggle and… Garfield’s eyes glanced back at Artemis, realizing that he had lost his own focus. That he was letting his thoughts get to him again. A reminder that he was his own distraction and another plausible cause for slowing their team down. Their. The thought never registered in his mind because Artemis was part of the team, yet, her standing right in front of her was the firm reminder that they were no longer on the same side of a coin they once shared. 

“I think you know how this should work by now, Artemis.” Arty, the nickname left behind from when she once left. He couldn’t do that to himself, his mind was already fragile and he couldn’t allow himself to have more emotional damage on the sore topic. “We take in the bad people, Artemis and I don’t want to, but you’re not exactly on  the good side anymore.” Each word felt as if he was throwing his own dagger into his chest. “We might still have each other, but we also have a giant tear in our relationship because some Tiger decided to claw her way out without talking it through.” It was him giving into his emotion, his temper rising slightly as he shook his head. “Do you even hear how ridiculous you sound right now? Do you remember our late night conversations, about Lawrence, about your own struggle? This isn’t you.” He knew his voice cracked, a horrendous habit that happened when he was upset. “I can’t let you go, Arty. You would know.” He paused, a breath withheld at her nickname and his eyes closed. He couldn’t fight her. He couldn’t do this. “Go.” That was it, if he couldn’t face his demons, there was no use in fighting them either. It would just be a firm reminder of a friend that he lost.

artemis was sharp, she was perceptive, and she knew her team. though she’d been away, underground for a year, she knew her team, and Gar was no exception. she saw the struggle in his eyes, saw him grapple with what was happening. later, when she was alone, she would sufficiently beat herself up over this. for tearing apart her friends, leaving them with a hole. perhaps after a while she’d realize that there was a heavy price to pay to do what’s right in secret. it all made sense in the beginning, and the crimes she prevented reinforced this... but now, nothing seemed worth the struggles she was getting thrown left and right.

she has to close her own eyes for a moment, the mask covering her face not doing much in hiding herself from him. the orange and black cling to her skin, and suddenly she wanted to crawl out of the suit. but she lets the feeling stay only a moment before shoving it all down, opening her eyes once more, just as his voice breaks.  she takes the moment he closes his eyes to squeeze her eyes shut a moment, wanting nothing more than to break everything, showing the briefest sliver of pain on her face before steeling herself again. him letting her go takes a moment to fully wash over. 

“I’m so sorry, Gar.” without so much as a beat, not bothering to acknowledge the crack in her own voice, Tigress has her grappling hook out and she’s dashing away, shooting it across to a nearby roof, ready to jump and swing away.