13131/Tiger burning bright

Tiger burning bright
Date of Scene:	20 October 2022
Location:	Blake House - Exterior
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	Artemis Crock, Thomas Blake, Jade Nguyen

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Artemis Crock has posed:
It has been a couple of weeks since Thomas helped to rescue Art from imminent danger, and she had spent the past several days healing, both mentally and physically. Eventually however, she knew she needed to see Thomas, maybe clear the air a bit. Afterall, she owed him her life, well him and Atrid and that mysterious third person.

But of course she always liked the element of surprise so suddenly she's on his doorstep, dressed in an orange and black striped hoodie and faded blue jeans, the hood pulled tight over head head, hands stuffed in the pockets as if she's trying to hide.

A few nervous knocks are made on his door, glancing around anxiously.

Thomas Blake has posed:
There's a minute of silence, then a person comes to the door. It's Thomas, in his ubiquitous shorts and muscle shirt, with the tiger -who seems to look hungry. He looks about for a second and then yoinks her in the door, slamming and looking it behind her. One arm circles her neck, half protective, half ready to wring it.

"Are you running? Were you followed? Would you know if you were followed?"

Another moment and the arm squeezes her a little and he lets go. "Come in... I'll make you something." He walks into the kitchen. The tiger remains looking at the Tigress. His ear twitches.

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock frowns, tensing as he. yanks her in, pulling away a bit. "Hey! What gives?" she frowns, glancing warily at the tiger then back to the door then smirks and shrugs, "Nah, I've been careful, besides, I was only n trouble when I was in Gotham, I think if I stay away there, I'll be okay." she smirks, trying to put on the tough girl mask, as if she wasn't captured and tortured recently . "Sooo how you been?"

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake fiddles with preparations for a burger in the kitchen. "Not scared of Rasputin anymore? That's good. There is nothing like a bit of torture and threat of death to teach you not to sweat the small stuff. Are you coming in? Just have to walk past him. Are you predator or prey? He's going to wind up eating your hamburger... Oh, I'm fine, thanks for asking. How's Paula? Any news? You gotta get her in isolation."

The tiger keeps watching.

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock laughs, offering her hand to the tiger to sniff, "I'm not afraid of anything, why would I be scared of a domesticated tiger? I'm good." her dark eyes narrow, cautiously guarding whatever torment she had been battling the past several days. Although she does tense at Thomas' casual mention of her harrowing ordeal. "Gee, thanks for bringing that up again, like I had forgotten. " she quips with an edge to her voice.

She nods, passing by the tiger, following him into the kitchen, "How are you, Thomas? I..Wanted to thank you, for helping me out back there.." as for her mom, she shrugs, "I've been busy..Recuperating the last few days, although I did get to arrange a lawyer for her. It wasn't cheap but I hear Ms Walters is one of the best."

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake seems pleased with Artemis' decision to walk past Rasputin. He says softly, "He isn't domesticated. Aaaaand don't you ever forget what they did, or forgive." He emphasizes this by jabbing in the air with a wicked looking knife. He flings the knife at the cutlery block, landing it in his place and puts a hand on Artemis' shoulder. "You did the best you could. No one stands up to that abuse forever. I'm glad you're feeling better. Maybe you should put the tough chick act on hold for a bit and let yourself heal. Oh, I hope you like rare hamburgers... it's better for you. You ned protein and iron right now. Sit down Artie. Glad to hear about mom."

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock laughs, "Wild cats are a lot more dangerous, they don't let you pet em." she shrugs, moving to one of the chairs, "Rare hamburgers..Sure why not. And lo never forget what they did to me, but doesn't mean I have to mull over it either. Just leave it be. I'll deal." her tone has an obvious edge to it, she really doesn't want to discuss what happened.

Even his touch on he4 shoulder causes her to tense slightly, though she doesn't pull away. Her hands clench though as she moves to shut down. "This is how I heal, Thomas, by touching it out. Dint need no coddling, I get enough from Atrid." although her tone softens at mention of her boyfriend's name.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake smirks and says, "Rasputin, guard." The tiger's eyes narrow and he pads silently towards Artemis, giving a single coughing roar.

"Don't mistake kindness or friendliness, for weakness. And honey, if I coddled you, you'd know it. Your facade means nothing to me, or him. You get a little more experience, you see past things like that. OK. And Atrid can have you and luck to him. I am glad you came by to see me, that was classy. I'm just concerned about the League reaching out. You should check out Mexico or Canada for a bit."

"Rasputin down... good boy. You made your point. She still thinks you're not dangerous, it's on her." Thomas gins and serves Artemis a hamburger with a fried egg on top. He sets out ketchup and gets hr a water.

Jade Nguyen has posed:
The sounds of booted feet on the porch announce another arrival. Jade knocks on the door, then takes a step back and slips both hands from her pockets. She isn't stupid. "I am not here to harm anyone." the woman declares, when the door is opened. The woman is wearing jeans and knee boots, a green silk blouse under a leather jacket. Her makeup is neat, her long hair pulled back.

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock stares cooly at the tiger as he roars at her. It doesn't seem to shake her although she does tense slightly, as if ready for battle. And then he barks another command and Art just shrugs and chuckles, "Cool trick, nice to see your wolf tiger takes orders from you. And no, I don't confuse kindness for weakness..In you, or your tiger friend. Just because he's house broken, doesn't make him a pussy. It just means he's a bit more..Reliable."

She shrugs and starts picking at her meal. "A vacation might not be a bad idea...After I've ensured my mom is safe.."

And then she hears the rumble of an engine outside..And a somewhat familiar woman's voice that sends a chill down her spine. She snarls and tenses, rising quickly to her feet. It's hard to tell for sure who it is as there is a door between them and she can only hear her through the open window, but..

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake gives the tiger a look and Rasputin follows him to the door. Thomas draws a knife from the small of his back and opens the door, ready to slam it into whoever is on the other side. His eyes narrow at the newcomer. "And... you're pathologically incapable of lying about it? What did you want here, then? I don't encourage visitors dropping in. They might get eaten."

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock sighs, shaking her head. "You sure have some nerve showing up here, Jade.." dark eyes narrow on her, clenching her fists at her side, "Even if you did help us escape after..Do you think I've forgotten why I was out there in the first place and by whom? You gotta pick a side, you can't be on both." there is hurt in her voice. She really wants to trust her sister, to reform her. Maybe there is still a chance but it's too soon, the pain is still new, still raw..

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake's eye narrow. He locks eyes with Jade, while the tiger watches very carefully. "You sold Artie out to those jackals... so what do you think the chances are of me letting you walk away from here, Jade? I'm kinda fond of the little knucklehead. Come on in... I want to talk to you. But -any violence or tricks will result in lethal force. We'll try to keep this civilized. Would you like a hamburger?"

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock blinks, hands still clenched in front of her, crouched slightly as if ready to fight. "Are you kidding me, Thomas? Even if she doesn't lift a finger, she will poison you. And I'm not talking something overt like tainted food..All it took was a little spritz in the air and I was putty in her hands..Whatever you do, don't let her in..Or if you do..I'm leaving." she's already backing away towards the back door as she says that.