Just {{Leon

[artemisackart]

'Just wait a minute' she imagined the young boy saying to the girl, and even though the boy was chasing her around with a stick of mud, Artemis couldn't help but imagine that the chase was something special. Now, the strange thing about all of this was the that the one thing that Artemis probably hated more than her own life was romance and everything around it. Not that she'd had much of a love life, but she figured that in the end love was just over rated.

Artemis wanted to gag at her own thoughts. Probably something her lonely heart had triggered, but she didn't dare move at all. She had a hard enough time breathing as it was she wasn't going to gag in fear that she might trigger another couging fit. See, she'd been up all night coughing. The bags under the bags under her eyes did give it away some. By the way that her figure seemed to sag as she stopped to watch the two children you could tell that she didn't want to get up this morning, but she couldn't just sit in bed coughing. She'd be boared to death, so now eleven o'clock on a saturday morning she tried hopelessly to amuse herself just a little bit.

Artemis couldn't watch anymore. Her own thoughts were beginning to annoy her. Maybe even sadden her. Sometimes it was just to much. But she still didn't know what to do or where to go. She looked at the ground, hoping it would give her some kind of a hint of where to go. She'd never been that good at improvising see. Even back at the military...

Anya held the gun firmly in her hands. She knew how they worked and waited quietly and patiently for instructions, but was caught off guard.

"Everton! They're coming from all sides. We're surrounded!" It took Anya a minute to register that she was Everton now and quickly turned her head to the man who was speaking to her.

"What do I do?" she asked beginning to panic, now realizing that she was definately not cut out for this.

"Improvise!"

Anya immideately paniced. What did that mean. The sound of bullets filled the air and Anya hesitated to join them, but knew she had to do something. She pulling the trigger she shot in any random direction.

Artemis removed the memory from her thoughts for many reasons. But she couldn't help but being disapointed in herself, having faked so many identities. None of herself seemed to be genuine anymore and she figured that she'd be better off just giving up.

A chill ran throughout Artemis' body and she pulled her heavy, black, woolen cloak around her body tighter. She also wore a scarf around her kneck hoping to get rid of the scratchyness in her throught. She figured that she just had a bit of a flu or something, only, her chest was beginning to hurt just as much as her throat. She was all such a mess, looking much out of place in the happy summer scene in Diagon Ally.

She couldn't stand this anymore and decided she'd just better go home. It might be warmer inside anyways. That in mind Artemis took jsut one step forwards.

[leon cortez]

Leon had been sitting in a dark corner of the The Leaky Cauldron, drinking, trying to fit in. It felt strange that he constantly found himself trying to do such a thing. He had to fit in as a muggle, then he had to fit in at Hogwarts as a muggle-born wizard, and now he was trying to fit in with the public, everyday normal people. He was undercover, or at least this is what he told the Ministry. The Leaky Cauldron wasn’t a stranger to him, not by the least bit, but today was different. He was on the job, looking for something. He wasn’t quite sure what he was looking for, but he was sure to know once he ran into it.

Leon struggled to stand from his chair. Drinking was not how it used to be. He felt his body was aging faster then it should of. Probably from years of drinking and a stressful job. He left a tip on his table on the way out of the pub. The sun light hurt his eyes. The Leaky Cauldron wasn’t exactly the best lit place in all of Diagon Alley. He shielded his eyes. ’Damn sun, where are those cloudy days when you need one?’

Leon was actually supposed to be investigating a recent case that occurred in Hogwarts itself. Problem was, he couldn’t enter the school until he had the thumbs up. He was tired of sitting in his office, so he told the ministry that areas involving students might help him find links to the case. Truthfully, he highly doubted that, the case seemed simple and clean cut. Some pure blood student got power hungry and killed an innocent, first year muggle born. They were after all, the easiest target in all of the school.

His mind quickly drifted off back to when he first entered Hogwarts. He was completely alone, and he probably knew even less then the other muggle-born. The scariest part of the whole event for him was sitting on the stool, in front of all the students, waiting for that strange sorting hat to place him in a house. He was so weak, so vulnerable, and so ignorant. He could have been in danger, and he would not even know it. A chill went up his spine at the thought. He felt for many of his victims, but especially for those who reminded him of his life.

He was walking now, faster then before. There were many people around, and he hated large crowds. The only thing he would find around this many people is trouble. ’Not to mention someone I locked up or arrested. I’m sure to find an enemy or two.’ Or three or four… The list could go on. Since he entered the department, he had not had any case unsolved. He captured over forty criminals, some who received short sentences because of some stupid technicality.

He turned a corner now, hardly paying any attention when he ran straight into someone. He looked down towards the person on the ground. The person was well covered, head to toe. The clothing was strange for the weather, and this triggered an alarm in Leon’s head. He did not jump into conclusions though; some people just disliked attention, much like himself. ”I’m sorry about that, here.” He held out his hand. ”Are you hurt?”

[artemisackart]

Let's put it this way. If Artemis had taken that step just one second later a lot of things probably wouldn't have happened. For one, she probably wouldn't have fallen over. Two she probably wouldn't have experienced any sort of ground induced pain and she probably wouldn't have suffered a coughing fit, but let's put those things into sequince shall we?

In the few seconds before the step Artemis figured that she should just give up on paying attention. It had never gotten her anywhere and she was far to tired to look anyways. She turned her mind completely off and stared at the ground. In her head everything was moving uber slow. Nothing much was going on around her and she definately notice anyone running towards her. Hence the collision.

Now, Anya was a thin girl, but Artemis was just un-healthy. She was growing so thin lately that you'd think if she turned side-ways you wouldn't see her. This was probably from the lack of most everything the woman was lacking now a days, but maybe this was the case. Maybe the moving object that had hit her just hadn't seen her. But no matter what the reason, the object still hit her and because she was so thin and wightless it didn't take much for her to tumble over. Next thing the woman knew she was just falling. Where? She didn't know. It all happened so quickly and the next thing Artemis knew, she was on the ground.

It took her a minute to re-compose. The exitement along with the falling over itself was quite a lot for her to handle at first. She wasn't breathing properly, she felt dizzy and her head hurt. To her the world was spinning. She let the world stop moving and eventually calmed down, focusing on the hand in front of her. Her breathing returned to normal, which in Artemis' case was staggered and shaky.

The woman sat up in time to hear 'are you hurt?' The first answer that came to mind was 'yes!' Everything hurt. Her head still hurt, her chest bore a growing pain and her throat was killing her. Her stomache screamed with hunger, but she refused to eat because it hurt to much to swallow. But this is not exactly what came out of her mouth.

At first Artemis didn't say anything. She stood at her own accord, ignoring the man's hand and completely ignoring the fact that the hand was attatched to possibly the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen in a long time. But to little to late, eyes focused on the ground she murmered "Fine. And just the one word triggered a most horrible coughing fit. It was getting to the point where she couldn't say anything without bursting into a fit of violent coughs. Her whole body trembled as she practically spat blood onto the hankerchief that she now held in her hands and raised to her mouth. She haunched her back and hung her head trying desperately to stop the whole thing, but without luck.

Up to speed now?

[leon cortez]

(ooc. Sorry for the delay, Florida just experienced a hurricane, and I was temporarilly out of internet. Ill be posting much quicker after this.)

Leon stood there holding his hand out for several seconds before the person every responded. The words "fine" seemed very far fetched. This person, he noted by the voice, had to be a young woman, possibly around his age. Her sudden coughing fit immediately caught his attention.

'Hmm...doesnt sound good, that cough. Smokers cough , Emphysema. Maybe even cancer?'

He dropped down to a kneeling position, directly infront of her. He caught a quick glimpse at her face, just barely. She seemed pale, often associated with someone unhealthy. But the quick look at her was not enough for Leon to know anything for sure.

"You dont sound fine, that fall triggered quite the coughing fit. You've seen a hospital lately?"

His words were almost cut short as she lifted a hankerchief to her mouth. Her coughing spit grew more violent, and he caught another glimps at her. Even her eyes showed signs of trouble. The bloody spit was another dead give away. Though he did not know this person, he knew he could not just let her sit there.

"Alright, I dont think your going to have much say in this, but were going to have to take you to see a doctor. You might have blood in your lungs."

He knew this was not going to be easy. A complete stranger doesnt usually take advice from some bystander. 'Especially after I knocked her down.' Some people were even scared of the hospital. Heck, some people, are just too stubborn. They think they dont need doctors and medicine. Leon was that type of person. He never went to the hospital, not even for the worst of times. He often joked about how he must have broken so many bones and fixed them by "walking it off." But this situation was different, it did not involve him, and this was much more serious then any broken bone or common cold.

"And if you have blood in your lungs, your life is in immediate danger. Either we walk you there, or ill carry you there. Your choice."

And if there was anything he hated more then going to the hospital, it was forcing people to do things. He himself hated being told what to do. At this point he felt like the biggest hypocrite in the world, but tough times called for desperate measures.

"Now please." He held out his hand once more. "Allow me to help you."

[artemisackart]

((Not if there's another hurricane.))

Artemis didn't notice at all as the stranger appeared to be watching her. She was focused on stopping that blasted cough. And though she did hear his first couple comments she just ignored them as she continued to cough. She wasn't about to argue with this guy. It would be to hard on her throat for one, and she was much to tired anyways. The bags under the bags under her eyes kind of gave it away.

However, the answer to his question was no. She had not infact been to a hospital lately. Since she was shot in the shoulder, which was a while ago, and she was certainly not like this then. She took no interest in seeing doctors however. She'd served her time as a nurse and certainly spent her time in bed as a solder, naa, she was through. No one seemed to get that.

Finally the coughing calmed down and Artemis stuffed the hankercheif back in her pocket, intent on not needing it in the near future. A breeze made her pull her cloak tighter around her after shivering.

She glared hard at the man, who she observed was near the same age as her and boy was he fine. Artemis tried hard not to smile. He was good looking, but she was pissed off at the strangers insists that she get help. It was rather annoying.

"I'm gonna make myself have a say in this" replied Artemis in her scratchy, and quite emotionless voice. "Don't you have someplace else to be, you seemed to be in quite the rush. So much of a rush that you didn't notice where you were going? Or were you trying to knock me down?" She struggled to get the words out without coughing but managed to stiffle an on-coming fit.

Artemis listened, as she rolled her eyes, to the rest of the speach. She'd heard all before by various people passing by, but no one was that desperate to help her. Who did this guy think he was? "Check out the big brains on you. Look, we all have a time so if it kills me than that's just brilliant!"

Can you guess? Pulling out the blood stained cloth Artemis started to cough once again. The fit didn't last as long, and it wasn't as violent, but it still happened. She managed to stop the coughing soon enough and when she did she ignored the man's offer to help, and although the back of her mind was begging her to go with him just so she could look at her, her anger took over and she said "I'm sorry I couldn't have been of more asstance." And with that she began to stalk off...

[leon cortez]

(ooc. Nope, no more hurricanes, lol.)

"Ahh, look, she speaks in sentences. And quite harsh words at that!" He laughed jokingly. "But no, I don’t have any place to be, and I was not in a hurry, or not really." He looked around to see if any curious crowd was gathering to see what had happened. "I just don’t like big crowds, and I was trying to turn into this street here." He pointed to a sign above them. "Street isn’t so narrow, and less people walk this way."

Earlier he stated that the Leaky Cauldron was no stranger to him, but this was the same for all of Diagon Alley. He spent much of his time here after graduating from Hogwarts. Leon found it hard to go home. He was now so used to magic and this different world that his muggle home seemed so far away. He occasionally visited his parents, on holidays and such, but he could no longer go back to those days that he was completely ignorant to everything.

”Yes, I was trying to knock you down, trying to catch the attention of the pretty girl hidden under her cloak.” He laughed, trying to get a smile out of her. ”And again, sorry, I should have been paying more attention. I just got caught up looking around me.”

Her next comment did not make her angry, but it didn’t exactly make him happy either. The tone in her voice, her attitude, and her way of speaking to someone made it completely apparent to him that she was not a people person, sort of like him. He didn’t exactly like talking to people either, but he found it easy to if the moment required it. He was a pretty confident person.

”Hey, I know your mad cause I knocked you down, but you don’t need to act that way. I am just trying to help, and don’t say something silly like if I die, I die, so be it. If you’re not scared of death, then why do you hide under your cloak? What are you running from?” The questions were rhetorical, he didn’t need the answers. The cloak was uncalled for in this weather and he was a professional after all at spotting such things.

But before he could say anything else, she had entered into another coughing fit. She brought out her blood stained cloth once more. The fit lasted shortly, and it was less violent, but nonetheless, her situation was not one that would get better by resting or cough medicine. When the fit ended, she began to walk off, but he reached for her hand to turn her around so that she was facing him. ”I’m not the one that needs assistance. You’re the one practically screaming for help, you just don’t want to admit it for some reason. Let’s go see a doctor. If they say your fine, then you can say you told me so.” He looked down at her hand that he held now in his. It felt sort of awkward for a second before doing something to ease the situation. ”By the way, you might not care, but the names Leon.” He shook her hand while smiling, putting on his natural charming look. He waited, knowing that asking for her name was probably asking too much at this point.

[artemisackart]

Artemis glared at the man's smart comment, but didn't reply. She only spoke when absolutely nessicary...or when she had something really dry to say. The stranger had gotten one thing right at least though, the words that Artemis spoke were harsh at times. It wasn't that she was a mean spirited person, she just wasn't very good with people.

Artemis ignored the stares of others as well. Right now she was to tired to care what anyone thought. All she wanted was to go home and attempt a long nap, not like that was going to happen, but whatever was at home was probably better than whatever the woman was getting herself into now. She also, however, couldn't have cared less about where ever this man was going, or why he was going there. It didn't have any sevre affect on her life and she didn't want to hear.

But the word pretty did strike a chord deep down inside of Artemis somewhere. A little Anya somewhere of Artemis was flattered and she could feel as a slight blush began to form on her cheeks. But she still refused to smile. Flattery was the worst way to get someone to do something for you and Artemis refused to be moved.

Now, the comment about her cloak caught Artemis off guard a little. Artemis didn't mind dying. She wasn't going to kill herself, but if she bore a life threatening disease than so be it. She wasn't going to try to stop it, and she certainly wasn't running from it. But it was strange that he asked what she was running from, because although Anya had fled the US and come here so as not to be found, that was certainly not the reason for the cloak. It was the reason for the name change and the change in attitude, but the cloak was actually very practical. To put it simply, Artemis was cold. That's right. In the dead center of summer the woman was cold. But Artemis didn't say that. Even the thought sounded stupid. So weather or not the man was expecting an answer it was clear that he wasn't going to get one. The questioning look on Artemis' made that clear.

It was a little...exciting for Artemis when he grabbed her hand. The Anya at the back of her mind was screaming at her to go with him. This would probably be the last time anyone ever wanted to do something for her, she'd better take the chance now, but Artemis could never be to careful. Who was he working for? Why did he want to help her? Was it a trap? But, having not even heard what he'd just said Artemis slowly nodded. Just because. Her eyes, however remained firmly planted on the ground.

She did, although, hear his introduction and murmered, reluctantly, yet not rudely "Artemis"

[leon cortez]

(ooc. Do you want to move this thread to St. Mungos, or just keep it here and say we went to the hospital, or wherever it is were heading? lol.)

Leon smiled at her response. It seemed to him that he had made some progress. ”Artemis, nice to meet you. We should get you to St. Mungos Hospital, unless you know of a better quicker place.” But did St. Mungos Hospital treat such things. It appeared to him that what she had was not magic related. Would they actually have to go to a muggle hospital? He surely hoped that was not the case. He dreaded muggle hospitals. Something about fixing people up without magic seemed primitive. This was not true of course, though the muggles did not have magic, they were advancing a lot in modern medicine and technology.

He released her hand and took a step next to her to begin walking. ”Have you had these coughs for a while? Or is this something relatively new to you?” The questions may seem stupid, but he thought they were completely relevant. The condition could be acute or chronic. If it was something like bronchitis, the possibility to treat the condition would be good. Anything else…well, he would have to figure it out along the way.

But his mind quickly drifted off once more. Back again to his past as a young boy, playing in the fields with his little sister. It had been a number of years now since her passing. ’Whoever says time heals is a damn liar.’ He found it only increasingly hard to live without her. He loved his parents much, but his sister was his only true reason for ever going back home. Now going back was like re-living a million memories he preferred to forget.

And was this why he was helping her? Was he still blaming himself for whatever happened, did he really think helping this person now would relieve some extra burden he held on his chest. [color=chocolate’Naw, can’t be, its just natural for me to want to help. Protect and serve right? That’s why I quit the desk job, got myself out on the field.’[/color]

”So, I don’t want to intrude too much on your personal life, but what brings you out here? Business or leisure?” He was just making small talk, hoping to ease the tension. But he quickly realized that he was about to put himself in a pickle. He couldn’t tell her the truth about why he was out here. He couldn’t just tell her, “Yea, I’m undercover, trying to solve a crime.” And he absolutely hated lying and making up stories. ’I guess I don’t really have to lie. I could just tell her I am waiting for someone to contact me.’ And that somebody was Dumbledore. Though he had the heads up from the ministry to investigate in Hogwarts, he knew the Head Master all too well. Without his approval, he would not be stepping foot into the school.[/size]

[artemisackart]

(Let's just keep it here, it's easyer.)

Artemis merely nodded at the 'nice to meet you' but a smile was clear on her face. It was subtle, but sitll, most definately there. Though it quickly faded at the reminder of their destination. A thought triggered in her head, so this is what I signed up for. She wasn't really into finding a quicker way to get medical attention, she was fine just walking until the end of time with this man, but she could also see where he might get annoying. He seemed stubborn, a bit like herself, only she felt she portrayed the attitude better.

Remembering that she should probably answer the question Artemis shrugged. "I was never good at geography.'' A slight chuckle followed before a few coughs but she tried real hard to stop them. Once composed she thought for a moment about how long she'd actually been suffering from, not only the coughs, but the pains in her chest and throat, the shortness of breath and the general fatigue. But she wasn't going to get into that. She simply answered "It depends on where you want to start." She coughed. "It started out as a cold I guess a few months ago." She didn't dare go near the other symptoms or the unusal eating habits that she'd further developped. She didn't need him to think she was anorexic to. She just, couldn't handle the hassle of swallowing.

The third question that came though was a bit difficult for Artemis to answer though. What exactly was she doing here? She had no idea. Quite technically Artemis had no place in the world, but Anya wasn't going to revael herself so easily. So the answer resulted in a "Nothing."

[leon cortez]

(ooc. kk, and I shortened my post, maybe itll help with your muse, give you more room for creativity. lol.)

He laughed at the joke too. She seemed, at least in his opinion, to be easing up a bit. But the news of how long she had the cough was not good. No cold lasts that many months, at least not to his knowledge. But she didn’t seem like the smoking type. He had seen plenty of girls in his day that couldn’t let go of a cigarette. But what else could it be? He could not think of anything natural that could have caused it. ’At least not in this side of the world, we don’t have chemical plants, or massive air pollution. Maybe some potions mix up disaster?’

And her response to his last question seemed more unsettling. ”Nothing? There has to be some reason you’re out here. You like the sites? The people, the food? Of all the places you could be, you’re here right now.” Was he being too pushy? Maybe, but that’s just how he was. He was an investigator at heart, it was what he was best at.

It was only a matter of minutes when they arrived outside St. Mungos Hospital. Before entering he looked towards the top of the building. A chill came up his spine. ’God, I hate hospitals. With their white walls, its always cold, they try to drug you with their lollypops.’ But his out appearance showed no remorse for having come to this place. He smiled and looked towards Artemis. ”Ready?” He hoped that she was, cause he sure as hell was not. ’Imagine me trying to convince someone into going to this place, I’d be convincing myself in the process.’

[artemisackart]

((Why thank you))

Artemis couldn't think of what could have caused the coughs either. She'd given up thinking about it long ago, it took to much energy to wonder, but she was a pretty smart gal. It was interesting that she couldn't figure out that it was from Anya's days on the battlefeild, but I wouldn't be surprised if she merely just didn't want to look back there. She could probably figure it out if she wasn't so afraid of her past, but for now she let it be a mystery. Sub-consciencely she probably knew exactly what the problem was, but she wasn't going to even go there right now.

She didn't want anyone to know about 'Anya', not even herself at times, even though she'd lived her life. The life of a different woman all together pretty much. But as the two neared the hospital she almost feared that the healers might link her problems to something of Anya's previous life. This, she realized was the main reason why she didn't want to be treated.

Now she'd met Leon, even though he might just be a stranger in the passing, she didn't want him especially to find out that she was running and hiding. He might find her cowardly, and even though Artemis didn't usually care about what others thought of her, her feelings towards this man's opinion were very important. Yet, she couldn't figure out why.

This is also partly why she had no answer to the first question. So she made up a half lie. Not all of it was true, but most of it was. He wouldn't be able to tell the difference anyways. She hoped. "I grew up here and I guess I just never left." For example, it was true that she grew up in these neck of the woods, only thing is she had left. For a great period time too, at that. But it was a safe enough story so if he asked any more questions she would probably be able to mold something baisic.

But when they entered the hospital Artemis' mood changed from nearly comfortable to just plain parinoid. Her whole body tensed and her only answer to Leon's second question was "No". She wasn't ready and she didn't plan on being ready ever, but something clearly had to be done. Well in Leon's opinion apparently. Artemis was fine with just wlaking away.

[leon cortez]

"Well, lets get you checked in." He thought it would be best to let her concern go unanswered. Hopefully the doctors will help her believe she made the right decision. But he truthfully did not know the next step to take. He knew were the hospital was, but where was he supposed to get someone to see her? And he still wasn't sure if this hospital admitted patients with whatever it was she had. He found the closest hospital employee. "Excuse..." His words were cut off as the person continued walking on by, just pointing in a direction.

The hand was pointing to a large sign showing what appeared to be the different floors located in the hospital. "Thank..you.." He quickly walked over to it and ran his finger down the side which labeled each floor.

"St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries"
Ground Floor - Reception and Artifact Accidents
First Floor - Creature-Induced Injuries
Second Floor - Magical Bugs and Diseases
Third Floor - Potions and Plant Poisoning
Fourth Floor - Spell Damage ~ Janus Thickey Ward
Fifth Floor - Visitors' Tearoom and Hospital Shop

He looked around for the receptionist desk and was surprised to find it only several steps past the sign. The desk was labeled "Inquiries." He walked over to the desk cautiously. "I need some help please."

The welcoming witch looked up from a stack of papers. "You seem fine to me."

"It’s not for me, my friend Artemis here," He said while pointing over to her. "She's been having chronic cough for several months, and I’m not too sure which floor we need to go to."

"Well, I would love to help, but I need to know the cause of the cough. was she bit by any strange animal, did she receive a contagious malady, was it potions or plant poisoning, maybe spell damage from an exploding cauldron?"

Leon wasn’t quite sure what to say next. He had no answer to any of these questions. And he wasn’t sure if she knew herself. He supposed it would be best for her to talk to the lady herself. ”Hey Artemis, I think it would be best if you spoke to her.” He lowered his voice to a whisper as he walked over to her side. ”I don’t think she likes me much.”

[artemisackart]

Artemis didn't like the way Leon said 'get checked in'. He kinda made it sound like she was...staying. *Gulp*. She chuckled a bit nervously to herself as the man looked for some matter of assistance. Artemis took the liberty of looking around as well, but she wasn't the one looking for help. No, not here and not now. She examined the plain walls which she was now enclosed in, she took a look at the sorrowful places of the buildings current inhabitants and guests and she remembered on of the reasons why she hadn't gone for help in the first place. She didn't like hospitals and doctors alike. Having served as a nurse for some time as a young girl she knew the suffering the patient and their families went through and she didn't want to have to be that person, not that she had any family that would be suffering for her. Still though, once was enough.

The woman distracted herself as Leon continued to look for help. Her hands rubbed against each other idley and she blinked really slowly, every five seconds. It got her mind off the things that were making her nervous.

Artemis noticed when Leon found his destination and began talking to the witch at the desk. Artemis tried not to listen, but caught most of the conversation anyways. That's when she remembered how uncertain she was. She didn't know any better than Leon what was causing the coughs and her mind began to race as she began to search for the answers to unspoken questions.

But her mind wasn't moving fast enough because Leon called her over and it was her turn to talk the receptionest. She didn't like the idea at all, and knew she had the power in her hands right now to just walk away. And although she did walk, it wasn't away. Yes, slowly Artemis headed towards the desk to join this strange yet intriging man who she just met.

"Yes?" Artemis asked the other woman in her rhaspy and slightly irritated voice.

"Do you know what's been causing the coughs?" repeated the secretary raising an eyebrow at Artemis.

"No" Admitted Artemis with a shrug and a few coughs. She raised the hankerchief that she still cluched in her hands to her mouth as she did so and waited for the small fit to die down.

The other witch seemed to frown at her and said "Well I'll get someone to take a look at you."

At the sound of that Artemis turned to face Leon with an expression that was pretty much screaming for help. She didn't like any of this one bit. She didn't want someon to take a look. She just wanted to be left alone. This was a mistake, all of it. Going along with this strangely attractive man who she didn't even know. She wanted out now!

[leon cortez]

(ooc. sorry about the wait, I was not sure what to write next. I left it short and to the point so you can make the next decision of were to take this. Hope that was fine. lol)

Leon saw the look on her face. He felt bad, he felt like he pushed her into doing something she desperately wanted out from. He placed his hand on her back and walked her out of ear shot of the lady in the desk. "Listen, I know you don’t want to do this, and we can walk away right now if you want to. I can’t force you to do this. I just wanted you to know that you’re not going to get better on your own; you need to seek out help. If not here, if not now, sometime soon."

He looked back at the lady. She seemed impatiently waiting and extremely bothered. 'This is why I hate hospitals, the people are supposed to be nice to you.' He smiled hoping that the lady would cheer up a bit, but the only action he got was a raised eyebrow as if she were asking, "What are you smiling about?"

His eyes quickly looked back into Artemis'. "So no pressure, ok? If you want to walk out of this place right now, we can do just that." He knew that he had pushed the situation too much. This decision was not his to make. His desire to help, his obsession to save people often led him into these types of situations. But something about his current situation was new, different. Something was telling him to stick around Artemis.

[artemisackart]

((S'ok. I think I'll manage.))

Artemis let herself be steared away and listened as Leon spoke. He was right for the most part. Artemis didn't want to carry through with the whole idea, and he could not force her two. Still, she didn't want to believe however that she wouldn't get better on her own, as he'd put it. She feared that it was something dreadful that she was suffering from, but she didn't want to believe it.

That being said however, Artemis did not want to come across as a coward. Sure, the man was offering her a way out, but how would her backing out of nothing come across to the person who she might actually begin to like? She decided that she would get this whole thing over with one way or another. With that in mind she smirked a little. "You don't really know me at all." She muttered, a smile playing in her eyes.

Yes, she did want to prove Leon wrong, that she was actually a brave little girl and she was capable of behaving in a hospital, and with that being said the woman turned around and headed back towards the desk. Her arms swung lazily as she walked, standing just that much straighter. She put her elbows on the counter in front of the now annoyed witch who sat behind it and in a bright light hearted tone she said "Let's just get this over with."

The other witch glared at Artemis before calling for a healer. Artemis waited patiently against the side of the desk, leaning in a very cool manner. She flashed Leon a 'look what I did' look and followed it up with a genuine smile that even made it to her eyes, which sparkeled with an old beauty that hadn't come out in years. This all changed however when the woman heard her name from behind her.

"Artemis I assume" The voice belonged to a rather large man in a white lab coat, stethescope hanging around his neck. It was rather intimidating for the small woman who's posture immideately shrunk with fear. She gave a little nod. She hadn't expected assistance this quickly and she had certainly been caught off guard.

"Come with me" the man continued. "Let's get you checked out." He beckoned for her to follow him. Artemis merely nodded again, almost childishly frightened of what was ahead. Hesitantly she followed, gesturing at Leon to do the same.

((How's that for direction?))