12656/Ghosts of our Past

Ghosts of our Past
Date of Scene:	06 September 2022
Location:	Gramercy Park Hotel
Synopsis:	Artemis has a very real nightmare about her past sins..
Cast of Characters:	Artemis Crock, Straw Man

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Artemis Crock has posed:
It's been a few weeks now, since Artemis came to New York, determined to put an end to Shadow X, a secret organization that was recruiting mutants and then harvesting their powers, killing the rest. So far they managed to slip out of her grasp, but she was determined to find them and out an end to their evil ways. And even though she had acquired a few new allies along the way, Art still took on most of the burden of the task herself, almost feverishly as if she considered it her lone responsibility.

Perhaps she was working too hard on this case as she stayed up all night and finally collapsed at her desk, lamp still flickering on and off as she drifted off to exhausted sleep..

Straw Man has posed:
    It could have been any dream. Dreams are rarely coherent when you think about them later, but this one? It's ice cream. A world of ice cream and happiness. People are walking on cotton candy floors and laughing with cartoonishly tall ice cream cones. Everything is just...perfect. Not a tear in the world.

    "Go get some," your mom encourages as she passes by. She's with your father, no indication of any abuse or horrible past present. They are happy together as they continue on their way. The ice cream world has a large bar, and a classic white apron and pointed hat defines the man who is turned away, blending a milkshake.

Artemis Crock has posed:
Ice cream. Cotton candy. Rainbows and unicorns too probably. Wweeeird..What the heck. This isn't what her dreams are usually about. Is it a dream? Must be. She's tired, thinking too hard, may as well enjoy the ride.

And then...There are her parents. Together. Normal. Not evil. "..Huh? Mom? Dad? What happened?" she frowns. She should be happy, they're a normal happy family..Yeah, this is nice, this is how it should be. She smilrs, staring down at her ice cream..

Straw Man has posed:
    A number of people seem to be present. They were all people that were victims of her crimes, sitting with people who had done them harm. They are all happy. They are all enjoying the ice cream. The man turns around. It's Rock Willis. Unlike the other people, however, he's not doing so well. "What was that for?" he asks, an arrowhead protruding from his chest.

    Rock collapses forward into the ice cream buckets, and the entire collection of people turn to the scene, the same sense that comes from one of those dreams where you realize you're naked in front of a group of people.

    "Art, why'd you kill him? I thought you were one of the heroes now?" her mother's voice comes from somewhere in the crowd.
    "Wow, I thought you were gonna get away from that sort of thing," comes Jade's voice, though neither can be specifically seen.

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock blinks slowly as she peers around. There was the girl she kidnapped, the teen who she stole something valuable from..The lady she injured but didn't kill...And. Yes of course. The mutant. Whom she killed in cold blood. She killed him. And now he's here. Talking to her.

Her eyes widen in disbelief, suddenly all eyes are on her and she can't..She can't relive this again. "No! I didn't mean to..I was just..Following orders.." she points at Ruby, the contractor who out her up to this. "You told me he was a bad person. A killer. You tricked me! And you.." she points to her parents, "You sent me away to be trained as an assassin, to follow in your footsteps! And you!" she points to Jade, "Can you really say you're any...Better.."

Wait, but Jade got herself a nice decent job at Microfirm. Her mom turned herself in, and her dad..Well..She shakes her head still, stepping away, "Look, I'm trying to be good now, I'm trying to be good! I can't change the past, you know I can't!"

Straw Man has posed:
    "Following orders probably isn't a good excuse to Rock, is it?" Ruby answers. "You still made the choice."
    "Are you going to hide behind what everybody else did?" her mother asks. "I don't see you turning yourself in to the cops. I tried to be a good example for you. You think what you do now makes up for that? You can't repay that blood. It's all over you."

    And it is. Coating the ice cream. Coating Art's hands, on her face. On the floor. What floor? There's a sudden sense of falling.

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock frowns, staring at Rock, shaking her head in disbelief. "No...I'm Soo...So sorry. I.." she glances back at her mom, tears trickling from her eyes, "But I...Was underage, I didn't know.." but she's making excuses, she's a horrible, horrible person. She deserves the death penalty. She deserves worse. She stares down at her bloody hands, dropping her ice cream, falling to her knees. "But...I'm scared..I can't..Aaah," she screams as she's suddenly falling, falling...

Straw Man has posed:
    It's terrible waking up from dreams that are vivid, isn't it? The bedroom though, in its darkness and silence, is all the comfort available. At least there's no nagging voices. No condemnation. No blood. The sound of the air conditioner can be heard kicking on. Art is safe. It was just a nightmare.

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock gasps, jerking awake, staring around. She's still at her desk, still in her street wear. Giving a yawn and stretch, she climbs unsteadily to her feet, and heads to the fridge for a cold glass of water. "Just a stupid, crazy dream, I clearly need more sleep." she mutters, splashing water on her face, just to make sure she's actually awake before heading to her bed, turning off the lamp then slowly gets changed into her night shirt. She yawns and stretches, peering around the room before slipping into bed. But of course now she can't seem to get to sleep..

Straw Man has posed:
    "What's wrong?" The voice is very close. Close enough to be right next to her. Was he there while she changed? He's there now. It's Rock again. Only this time? He's not there in a dream. He's laying in the bed next to her, hands folded behind his head as he rests on the pillow, fully dressed as if he walked in off the street. "Something keeping you awake?" he asks casually.

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock gasps when she hears a voice waaay too close. And then when she turns and sees him just laying there, she screams and jumps out of the bed. "You! You're not real! No way...This isn't happening!" she turns on the lights, hoping it makes him go away. Or at least she tries to turn on the lights. Is this one of those annoying dreams within a dream? Those suck, and lights never work properly, Grr..

Straw Man has posed:
    He doesn't disappear with the light, though it does seem to come on without complaint. His eyes shift to the lamp though, and then back to her. He isn't injured. No gaping wound from an arrow. "Not real, that's a bit rude," he says, not moving from his casual stretched out position. His ankles are crossed, making it a bit more difficult to take any immediately threatening movement. "I feel like I'm coming in a very controlled manner. You know, all things considered."

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock gasps, flicking the light on and off a few more times, "But, but I killed your..No way you're still alive, it's not possible! I saw you fall, I saw you die..." she rubs her eyes, pinching herself, "This isn't possible! Am Ai still dreaming? Dammit, gotta wake up!"

Straw Man has posed:
    "Not probable," he corrects, sitting up and putting his feet on the floor. "If it wasn't possible, it wouldn't be happening. It's not probable." His tone is controlled. "You're missing the bigger question here, though. It's not how I'm here that should be in your mind. It's /why/ I am here." He crosses to her patiently, putting a hand past her on the wall over her head. "WHY am I here?"

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock is starting to hyperventilate now, "No no no! I killed you! Are you saying I didn't...? Maybe it's not murder...?" well one can only hope. Dark eyes are already searching his chest fir that fatal wound. "How? Why? What is this, what's going on? I must be dreaming still!" when he rests his hand a little too close for comfort, she freaks and ducks, running for the washroom, turning on the tap, splashing her face in water. "Wake up wake up wake up!"

Straw Man has posed:
    He doesn't run after her, but Rock is right behind her when she splashes water on her face. Surely this isn't a dream. Now she's trapped in the bathroom.
    "People die, Art," he says. "And you ask why. And you act as if you didn't feel a thrill of satisfaction at completing your task. Sure you did. Who wouldn't? Who doesn't like to feel that they accomplished something?" he challenges. "Sure you felt guilty later, but can you really say that the moment you put down a MURDERER you didn't feel a little good about it?" he asks, a barring presence in the doorway.

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock continues to rinse her face, but when she looks up at the mirror,he's there behind her. She gives a little gasp, and just turns the water on higher. "This is ridiculous, I'm talking to myself! Go away! You're dead, there's nothing left to say. And to be fair, you were a criminal, a terrorist! Sure, you did it to help mutants, and sure you had a wife and kids, and I'm so, so sorry for that. But, I can't take it back, ok? I'm making up for it more than you know, I'm helping people, I'm working to bring down Ruby, the woman who set me up to take you down. Isn't that enough? Why won't you leave me alone?!"

Straw Man has posed:
    "A criminal? A terrorist? YOU STILL DON'T GET IT!" Rock's hand reaches out to take Artemis by the neck, picking her up and slamming her back against the mirror over the sink, making it crack from the impact. "It's not about whether I had children. It's not about whether I deserved it. It's about what YOU ARE. And you hide. You pretend that you are something else. You pretend you can BE something else." The grip tightens around her throat. "You tell yourself you're a monster, but maybe you were made to be a monster." The veins in his neck pop with rage. "But you judge yourself and everyone else like you, this pretense of righteousness. You pathetically beg for this to be a dream, but it doesn't really matter, does it! Because what you know is not a dream is that truth remains truth!" He releases her, backing up. His voice returns suddenly to a calm demeanor. "No matter where you hear it."

    The sound of the air conditioner kicks on, a subtle sound in the bedroom. The quiet bedroom. The empty bedroom. Well, empty except for Artemis.

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock gasps as he lunges at her, grabbing her neck, slamming her against the mirror. Tears stream down her cheeks and she sobs uncontrollably, "Nonono! I'm not a...lIm soooo sorrry ! I'm so sorry sorry! I...I'm a horrible person, you're right..I'm a monster! I don't deserve to live..What I did..It's unforgivable! I'm so....." she gasps, peering around, where did he go? "What the hell just happened?!"