eye of the tigress

[tiigrxss2]

wllcewest‌:

The silence is almost overwhelming, and Wally doesn’t know what to make of it. There was so much he could assume from it, which thinking about all the what ifs wouldn’t help anyone. While knowing that fact, he does anyway. There was a point in his life when he genuinely thought he could spend the rest of his life with her, but now … that was ruined. Their lives are so different, and he’s not sure that he knows her anymore. While he’s walking around the room, putting the kit away he stops before turning back to look at her again. It hurts to be this close and not hold her the way he would like to. Wally misses their time together, but he had to keep that in the past right? How do you move on? Especially when she says what she does. It doesn’t make any of this easier.

Wally turns back to head over to her, sitting down again, but his arms are crossed over his chest. “You’re welcome. I can handle getting shot, you know that. I appreciate it, probably would have scared my kids.” He admits, with a sigh, unsure how long she would actually be here. “You can stay in here for the night, but you have to leave in the morning.” He wants her to get better before leaving – better enough at least.

she lets out a breath, a mix between a huff and a short laugh, “doesn’t mean you should,” she says simply, and it’s the mention of his kids that makes her finally open her eyes. she likes to see the feelings that come over him when he talks about his children. it made her smile before, though now she catches herself before the ghost of a smile can become anything obvious-- still, she’s slow with this injury. she doesn’t even fully realize how much, “they’re okay?” she asks softly.

she looks around again as he says she can stay, but that only lasts a moment. she hates this part of concussions, when you can’t look around without getting dizzy. she knows it will pass... but she also knows it won’t pass before she’ll need to rest. she sighs, meeting his eyes, and in that moment she feels her words catch in her throat. she’s completely exposed to him, and her mouth hangs open a moment as her thoughts catch up before stuttering-- not something Artemis ever wanted to admit she did, and that’s not even touching upon the shame she felt for the tears stuck in her eyes, “you can run me somewhere else if you want,” she manages to get out, “but i-- i can’t go myself right now.” and internally, she’s cursing every ounce of herself that feels things, because at the moment she feels that she has no control, not in the slightest.

[tiigrxss2]

the strategy that had given her the most success and flexibility as far as gathering information and making connections had been taking hired jobs, which was where she was at now. getting in had been easy enough, and slipping through the sensors was simple once she revealed where they were. it was looking like an easy in-and-out job. what she hadn’t heard was someone else joining her until they were much too close. in a knee-jerk reaction, she draws her sword and turns to face the newcomer, eyes narrowed, “what do you want?” [ @clcwedking​ ]

[tiigrxss2]

Who told you they loved you last?

“Lian was the last to say it outright... Gar called me family... which is more love than i deserve at this point. that’s about as close as I got as far as I can remember.”

“Especially because this stupid question just made me think of Wally.” @wllcewest

[tiigrxss2]

xzatannazatara‌:

Zatanna recognized the intruder almost immediately and was slightly taken aback. “Well,” she said after a long pause, “they say even God rested on the seventh day. I cancelled a few of my shows so I could get some of the inventory here in order,” she responded as she took a step closer to Artemis. Zatanna had heard rumors about her friend and not good ones to say the least. Word on the street was Art was a bonafide criminal running around under the alias Tigress. Zatanna had a hard time believing Artemis would turn to a life of crime after everything they had been through. She examined her friend for a moment and her expression shifted to one of worry. “Artemis, what kind of trouble are you in?” Zee asked but was unsure she’d get a straight answer from her former team mate. “You can stay here as long as you need, but please let me help you. Whatever this is you don’t have to go at it alone.”

Artemis allows a small smirk at Zatanna's answer. Between being a famous magician and a hero, Artemis knew the woman worked harder than most in a lot of ways. At her question though, Artemis turned away, strolling around the shop and taking things in. It had been months since she'd been inside, been around her dear friend. "Depends on the day, Zee," she says vaguely, staying away from the front window. She folded her arms, and for a moment she stopped to wonder -- could Zee help her? At this point, her situation was absolutely her doing. The information she got was good but she chose to put herself into the depths of the criminal underbelly of Gotham. After a moment, she shakes her head and shoots her old friend a wry smile, "maybe I'm just where I belong again?" a lie that became harder and harder to keep straight. How long could one last steeped in evil after escaping it once before? “there’s nothing you can do.”

[tiigrxss2]

wllcewest‌:

Wally is a mix of emotions being so close to Artemis right now. Part of him wants to pull her close, and just hold her for a while because there’s no doubt that he still loves her. He has a moral code though, and she was a criminal now. What does he do? What kind of example would that set for his children? It was a stupid question to consider since he would let Hartley into his home, and he has taught Jai and Irey to be a good judgment of character.  “Yeah? It’s usually how that goes you know. You commit a crime, I show up to stop it, and you try and escape. Should I be thanking you for doing that for me? I didn’t know you still cared.” He shouldn’t have said that, but he glances away to focus back on stitching up her wounds.

“Don’t be stupid, let me at least patch you up before you leave. I should be taking you to the police, but just this once I’m going to let you go.” Wally says, making sure she was laying back down before he finishes the stitches. Once done he puts a bandage over them just to be safe. He leans back when he was done though, closing the first aid kit. This was hard for him, but he doesn’t know what else to do.

artemis rolls her eyes then, closing them the moment after in frustration. her entire world seemed to spin, and her chest was aching at what he said. in the back of her head, Dick repeating that they needed to tell him, that this simply wasn’t fair... but Artemis didn’t lead a fair life. she lead a life that she wanted to be proud of for years to come, and the only way she’d get to years later? was if she kept her cover. she wants to reach out to him, but as she lays back down her hands curl into fists, resisting the urge. she wanted to shout that she cared, that she never stopped, even when he did go off and start a new life without her-- but of course, that was far out of the question to bring up now. as her head spun, she remained silent. she resisted the urge to lash out, but listens to him. if she’s being honest? though it hurts, there’s a comfort to hearing his voice, she couldn’t deny it.

though her face twitches minorly with the pain, she decides to keep her eyes closed. it’s easier, like she’s cheating, not having to look at his face and, more importantly, into his eyes. she feared what wally could figure out from just a good look at her at this point. she would never deny he was her weakness. she hears the click of the kit closing and, eyes still closed, she finally speaks. “thank you,” her exhaustion is clear now, though she didn’t intend it. still, nothing she can hope to change with her head swimming. out of the many things she’d like to say, apologies she’d like to pour out, reassurances she’d like to offer, she instead settles with a simple, grumbled, “i’m not going to let you get shot, come on.” 

[tiigrxss2]

bcastiebcys‌:

It was another restless night, where sleep didn’t seem to come during the quiet hours of the night that were replaced with the loudness of his own thoughts. He needed air, to escape his cruddy apartment and equally damaging thoughts. The sky was always his go-to, a place where people looked up and couldn’t recognize his green wings and how he didn’t fit in with the norms of society. But then, there was a silhouette at this time at night, and as he drew nearer, wings gliding nearly silently, he felt as if he had been shot out of the sky. It was as if an arrow lodged its way into him, but as he noticed the turn of her body, Gar realized that she was going to run. Heart surging, he quickened his dive to the ground, eyes scanning with deliberation as she seemed to zone in towards the entrance. 

A warning cry fell from the beak of the eagle that he was morphed as, before shifting back to himself, falling quickly to his feet as he turned to the other. It was hurt that put him there, the glare hiding the real pain of knowing that a friend, a teammate, a part of his family had betrayed him. He was used to the death of his own family, but this was worse. It was knowing that she was still alive, that she threw all the trust he had for her away, and Gar couldn’t help the short breath of air. “I want to be wrong about this, but do you always run.” There was a tug in his words, jaw tensing. “What the hell, Art. You keep running, all you do is run, you run from us to join them. Just…. stop running.” He wasn’t sure whether to be in a defensive position or not, if he was supposed to be offensive or not. “I don’t want to fight you,” Truth and statement, eyes catching onto her owns. “Why are you doing this, Artemis? This isn’t you, I…. You’ve hurt everyone. We’re supposed to be a family and you’ve broken that.” 

She should have known she wouldn't make it. He may not be the fastest man on Earth, but Gar had his own rather impressive ways of catching her. After all, she was just a girl with a bow and a sword. As she stopped in front of him, her hands fell to her side uselessly. Truthfully, yelling would be easier to deal with than this. Screaming and yelling , hell she'd happily take a fight once her chest contracts when he mentions family. Their family of misfit super teens. After all, Artemis Crock has very little real family left that are willing to accept the real her.

"Gar--" there's a flash of uncertainty on her face, because he's heard it all. He's heard her late-night speeches on Lawrence and his philosophy and ways of being. He's heard her grapple with good versus evil since she was a lost teenager on his team. "I don't want to fight you either, but you know I can't let you take me in, if that's what you're thinking," she's careful to leave her hands at her side though, not reaching for her crossbow or sword. She holds his gaze, stony expression returning, "you still have each other," and her expression is stubbornly, icily blank as she continues, "but that life wasn't for me, we all knew it," though her head is aching again and she hates the lie, hates lying to him specifically, she must. “just-- please let me go. Please-- don’t make me fight you,” and if she was asked? She’d blame the concussion, exhaustion creeping through her to put her in a state to ask to escape. 

[tiigrxss2]

what do you miss the most about life before you went undercover?

“what exactly is the point of digging this up?? ugh-- fine. My friends, just being around my friends. I miss them.”

[tiigrxss2]

how do you feel knowing that almost everyone you know is hurt by your betrayal, after all, emotional damages take longer to heal than physical?

“For the past 12 years I surrounded myself with the strongest people I think exist on the planet. Possibly galaxy. They’ll heal. I’ll... find a way to make it better, when I can go back to them. I promise.”

[tiigrxss2]

wllcewest‌:

Wally meant what he said to Artemis, unsure how this will go now that she was waking up. They had been fighting each other before this, but the hero in him couldn’t leave her behind. He still cares about her even if the friendship they had once is gone. He still wants to make sure that she would be well enough to leave on her own. They have too much history together for him to just forget about it all. “You were sure trying to back there.” He replies as he puts down the tools in his hands, leaning back in his chair.

His gaze just observing as she closes her eyes with another groan. He licks over his bottom lip, unsure what else there was to say. “No. None of your new friends saw. They got away.” He shakes his head at the words. “I’ll find them later, but right now I’m just focusing on treating your injuries.” 

Slowly, Artemis regained her wits. It was a little easier when she hears the tone of his voice. Is that venom she hears? It wouldn’t surprise her, because she knows she’s done a good job. She knows, and definitely does regret the hurt it’s caused others. one day, she knows she’ll fix it. somehow, she would figure out a way. she opens her eyes again, looking at Wally, though more aware of what she was saying now, “I was trying to escape,” she bites back, “it was a blown up building or a wall of bullets, so I chose for you,” she rolls her eyes, knowing she’s toeing a dangerous line. Still, it’s difficult not to with him.

She begins to sit up, though groans again, cursing at the pang in her side and cut on her arm, “I’m fine-- you don’t have to-- just let me--” but as she begins to move her head quickly, her world spins, and both hands grip where he’s laid her. she steadies herself, blinking hard, though doesn’t move, “okay,” and slowly this time, she begins to reverse her movements so shes laying down again, “...maybe not.”

[xzatannazatara]

Zatanna sat upright with her legs crossed and eyes closed as she levitated over the yoga mat at the center of Zatara’s Magic Shop. She was trying to refocus herself with meditation - a trick her father taught her long ago. She simply focused on the sound of her own breathing and tried to tune out the world. It was no easy task. Her mind was buzzing with worry for her friends and fellow citizens. A power vacuum had opened up in Gotham and the city was swarming with criminals ready to take the Joker’s place. The sound of the front door opening jolted Zatanna from her meditative stated. Her concentration broke as did her levitation. She fell to the ground with a soft thump and looked in the direction of the door. “We’re closed,” she called out. And locked. She knew she had locked the door before getting down to business. She stood up and dusted herself off, trying to get a better look at the person. “Are you alright?”

[tiigrxss2]

There weren’t many places she’d go to hide out that were still associated with the team while undercover... however, she just needed somewhere to catch her breath. She knew she lost her pursuants, but hiding out in the open was hardly an option... and perhaps the pull of her friend’s shop, even though Artemis had not expected the woman to be there, was more alluring than she could resist. After all, it had been more than a year, and though she could project it well, she was not made of stone. So, she slipped into the shop, relaxing a little... until she heard Zatanna. Artemis froze in her crouch, unmistakable in her Tigress uniform. She straightens as she actually sees her friend, and a nervous half-smile tugs at her face. She raises her hands in front of her, an awkward peace gesture, “I really didn’t think you were going to be here,” she admits dumbly, sighing. it’s almost as if she’s openly tired of keeping up with this facade, though she says nothing to reveal herself. “would you believe me if I said I was just going to hang out for 20 minutes to lose someone’s trail?” because, in the moment, that was the absolute truth.

[tiigrxss2]

🏹 & 🍏 !!

🏹 -- a talent they wish they had

“I wish I could sing. I think it’s the best talent anyone can have, I love hearing people sing... I mean, when they’re good at it at least.”

🍏-- something they secretly wish didn’t exist

“fake deaths.”

[tiigrxss2]

this time? she wasn’t even doing anything bad. she was still trying to shake off the concussion she’d managed to get from her utterly brilliant plan of partially blowing up a building to make sure wally didn’t get hurt. now Artemis simply decided to be on a roof to think. it was harder with her concussion, and even cut short when the hawk she was tracking ( peacefully, with a little smile, a moment of calm in the chaos her life was now ) came closer... because it was definitely green, and not just from the city lights, which would also explain why it was now seemingly coming right towards her. [ @bcastiebcys ]

“shitshitshit,” Artemis straightens and turns, cursing under her breath as she begins to run towards the roof entrance. if she’s being honest, fighting her old teammates got harder and harder with each blow she gave one of them, and fighting Garfield Logan right now was liable to be extra hard on her, especially after how hard he would try to make sure she was alright after Ollie’s ‘death.’ Well, now Ollie Queen was alive again, along with Dick of course, and her reasons for staying underground were running short... not that she could explain this to him, of course.

[tiigrxss2]

bcywcndr‌:

Every time they have these meetings, Dick feels another pang of fear and dread that maybe the mission will have gotten under her skin, or worse - that something would’ve happened to her and she won’t show up when she’s supposed to. Seeing her again, seeing that familiar look in her eyes and the expression on her face puts him at ease and he doesn’t hesitate to step in and wrap his arms around her, squeezing Artemis gently. Dick isn’t just her handler in all of this - Artemis is a teammate and a friend, practically family. Meeting with her like this gives him the chance to remind her who she truly is, that the woman she’s pretending to be while on her mission is not who she is. “It’s good to see you, too.” Dick says with a smile, and he means it. It’s something he never used to say enough, but.. being away from everyone he loves for so long when he was undercover had been so damn hard, and he doesn’t ever want to waste that opportunity again. Not to mention that gives him valuable insight on how Artemis must be feeling, too. His smile fades a little as he steps back and watches her take out the notepad, taking it with a silent nod of his head as he tucks the book away in one of his hidden pouches for safe-keeping. That can wait until later - right now, his priority is the words coming out of Artemis’ mouth, the strained, stressed sound in her voice a clear indicator that she’s not okay. “We need to tell him, Arty.” Dick says, and not for the first time. He’s been saying this for a while now and he understands why she pushes back on the idea of telling him the truth, but Dick can’t keep letting his best friend go on like this. “Neither of you can go on like this. It’s not fair.”

this hug is a bit more solid than others, and she clutches him a few extra moments. to say that a year undercover had taken a toll on the woman was an understatement, but at the same time, Artemis Crock did not quit. She was proud of the information she’d gotten, plots she’d foiled, without creating suspicion from what she could tell. In a way, it felt strange to be proud of doing anything with the people she was. she’d fought tooth and nail to get out of it as a kid, but here she was, fitting back in like a piece of a bigger puzzle. she screws her face up  at his statement, but she knows deep down that he’s right, “he might have a hunch... I don’t know. I was out of it.” she sighs, embarrassed by the whole thing, “also, I have a wicked concussion. That’s fun.” she gives Dick a skeptical look though, almost as if she’s taking his statement as a challenge, “I can keep going just fine,” she tells him, “I haven’t come up with enough to just stop now,” the challenge softens though, half because she’s exhausted due to her injury, and half because Dick Grayson is one of the few people on Earth that Artemis Crock relents to when push comes to shove, “something big is coming, I can feel it.”

[tiigrxss2]

wllcewest‌:

It might not be a good idea for Wally to bring Artemis back here, but with the secret entrance away from the house it wouldn’t give away the location. He wasn’t sure how much he trusts her now – she was a criminal after all. There was always going to be a soft spot for Artemis though. The love he has for her was still there, but there was a duty that came along with what he does for a living though. 

He eventually finds the first aid, not usually needing it because of his healing factor. He walks back over to where Artemis was, only to realize she was awake now. He sat down on the stool pulled up next to where she had been laying. His hands putting the kit on an empty part of the bed. “Yeah, I could’t let you die in there. I’m just patching up your injuries so don’t try anything.” He says giving her a look before focusing back to what he was doing. 

This was certainly a concussion if she ever had one, not that she had enough consciousness to really make that determination. In fact, there were a few things she suddenly didn't think too much about, like waking up with Wally nearby. It may have been years ago now, but it was admittedly something Artemis never truly forgot, never stopped missing. So to have it again now? Even before her eyes fully open, her mouth spreads into a sweet little smile, reserved for private momnts... but the words that come out of his mouth weren't exactly soft or sweet, they're a warning, "I wouldn't hurt you.....?" she trails off confused, somewhere her mind screaming at her to stop talking, but after the blow it was a very groggy, far-away scream.

Then she remembers the arrow. The building, a small bank. She knew the place via blueprints, which brought back her team. Her purpose there. Wally's purpose there. Their fight. She groaned again and squeezed her eyes shut, brain not functioning well enough to be able to run out... nor did she think she'd get far in her state, not even counting Wally, "shit..." she let out softly, asking the first thing that came to currently slow mind, "did anyone see?"

[tiigrxss2]

rcdarscnal‌:

Roy can’t deny he’s relieved to see her. He and Artemis might not have always been close but time changed things, their relationship has grown since then, and he’d easily say she’s one of the few people Roy would call family. Which makes it that much harder to know she’s undercover every day, risking her life when things just keep getting worse and worse. But.. this is their lives, this is what they do. And he knows he can’t tell her to turn away from what she believes is the right thing to do.

For now, he pushes that thought away, instead focusing on how happy his daughter is - and how happy he is to see her. “We’re excited to see you too. She keeps asking for you. She wanted to bring that tiger you left us but I convinced her that wasn’t a good idea.” He steps over to ruffle her hair gently, still watching Artemis carefully. He wants to make sure she’s okay, that she’s doing alright despite the pressure of her mission. “Hey, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, I’m not the one making all the wrong friends.” He says with a weak chuckle. “How’re you holding up? You miss seeing me every day yet?” It’s meant as a joke of course, but there’s a real question behind it.

"tiger's best left at home, better to guard the house that way," she chuckles warmly reluctant to even let her far enough away to look at her, but she doesn’t restrain the girl. she’s just relieved they’re alright, that she gets to see them. she can’t say she really has a proper family to look after, but to say she didn’t worry about Roy and Lian would be a lie. Roy had become the single person that she could really call family that wasn’t on the wrong side of the law.

“‘friends,’ yeah,” she gives him a wry smile, resisting the urge to sigh. she didn’t want to show how much stress she was under, particularly with Lian so close. this was something she’d figure out on her own, perhaps with Dick, as she’d made herself accustomed to this past year, “i’m working, that’s for sure. it never stops. but I’m doing good,” though, she’d come to wonder if her meaning behind that statement settled more towards the good for humanity rather than good as a state of being. Artemis knew she was doing the right thing of course, and that’s what kept her going. still, she shoots a cheeky wink at Roy, “missing your mug every day though,” she ruffles Lian’s hair, “and yours too.”

[tiigrxss2]

🌜,👻

👻- For something that scares or disturbs them, but they refuse to tell anyone

Artemis is adamant that things don’t scare her. She’s faced gore and evils from the time she was a child, and learned that cowering or bending to her fears was useless and weak. However, her greatest fear, which she will not say aloud, or really acknowledge, is losing all the people close to her, and being alone. 

🌜- For a ‘weird’ habit or tic that no one knows about

Artemis has a special interest in medicine, and when she’s nervous, alone, without anything to really do, she begins running through anatomy. as a kid, she ended up memorizing all the bones in the body ( “better to break ‘em, baby girl” as Lawrence said ) and tends to revisit the list when she needs to calm down or distract herself. 

[tiigrxss2]

wllcewest‌:

Wally was always prepared to take a risk. Which even applied here in this moment as he was sure that gunfire would be coming toward him, but when he compares it to what he normally goes through it wasn’t so bad. His rogue gallery uses special crafted weapons or gadgets to aim toward him. He could handle a freeze gun, a heat gun, a magic wand that controls the weather, or any of those ridiculous boomerangs that Digger uses. Even some of the newer rogues that have come up against him in recent years had become easy to handle for him, but that might just be the fact he knew their mannerisms and patterns after so long.

Which also was the case here with Artemis. They had been teammates once, and he knew how she worked in the field. He knew her so well, or so the man had thought. He never expected to watch her go to the other side. 

“We were friends once!”

Wally sees Artemis shoot an arrow, but he’s too late in stopping it. He’s sees that Artemis doesn’t get out in time and he’s wondering what she was thinking while he runs in to scoop her up, and run the two of them out of there. He takes her to a secret location, the flash cave he was calling it that he had build under his house. It was big enough to house the important stuff he needed, and it had a secret entrance from outside. He laid her down and sighs, pulling the mask off his head as he’s looking for a first-aid kit. 

we were friends once...

she could hear it distantly, echoing again and again through her head. she didn’t know where she was, heard faint and distant clutterings and wind passing by, but she could make no sense of it. the only thing that stayed present?

we were friends once..... 

she groans a little from her spot, though she cant open her eyes yet. it feels like there’s an ocean in her brain, swaying back and forth. she cant move her limbs much either, every inch feeling heavy. for a moment, her foggy thoughts seem to get louder.

we were friends once......... 

“wally?” she doesnt realize she’s said anything out loud, but she recognizes the voice in her memory. slowly she regains sense, but it takes several minutes worth of groaning to finally open her eyes.