Homesick

[François Laffont]

Franck was no tree hugger but he loved nature. Kalispell was apparently considered small in the States, at least it was the way he understood it, but his hometown was even smaller. The change of scenery was also intense for Franck. Not that he was not used to trees. He had plenty at home and used to play outside a lot as a kid. It was more all of the modern aspects of the town that was a change to him. Tonnerre kept a lot of the old European charm and it took a while for Franck to adapt to this American style and way of living. He managed to over the years but there were still time when he felt homesick. Even after five years. It only took one little detail suddenly hitting him when it previously had not and he would remember home and felt the desire to see it again. It rarely lasted but he could still feel it. Since he knew he was more known for being the rock in this raging sea of emotional drama that was Bellefonte Academy, Franck preferred to step away from people when that happened and let it pass on its own. Luckily for him, the grounds surrounding the school were vast enough to get lost in it and not have anyone worry for him.

Today was one of those days and the forest nearby actually helped soothing the ache. It reminded him of home, of the trees there and the games he played with his friends. Burgundy might be mostly known for its wine Franck knew more about the woods, the churches and the Knight of Eon who was born in his town. It wasn’t too hard to fool himself he was back home around here. Nothing looked more like a tree than another tree.

Franck kept walking until the trees hid the sun from him. There he stopped and looked around. It wasn’t quite like home but he loved nature enough to feel better already. He inhaled deeply. He almost wished he was ten again and that he was playing some tag with his friends around the woods. For a moment, he could almost hear them laughing and chasing after each other. No wait, he was hearing something for real. Franck frowned realising those were the sound of someone walking nearby. He turned around to try and find out who it may be and what brought them here. He somehow wasn’t sure the activities people did around here had much to do with homesickness.

TAG: Artemis James

[Artemis James]

Artemis had never been someone who immersed himself in nature. This wasn't a matter of choice, but was due to his upbringing in a city environment forests and other large expanses of greenery were few and far between. He hadn't exactly missed the lack of it either; When you've never experienced something before, you generally aren't too pushed to seek it out. Bellefonte however was a far cry from the concreate jungle he'd come from, with the Academy surrounded by wood and leaves with the roaring river beyond it; It could almost be intimidating for a city boy who'd spent his entire life far from fresh air, but Artemis wasn't exactly the sort to be intimidated by anything, least of all a couple of densely populated trees.
It hadn't been long since he'd first stepped foot into the halls of the Academy, and although he was just about getting a grasp of the school's layout, the green leafy world which surrounded it was still very much unexplored. Knowing his twin was highly unlikely going to want to walk the woods with him, Artemis had opted to go alone. He generally didn't favour time by himself, as he was a natural socialiser, but for once it felt like a positive idea to at least spend some time alone; To allow himself to become more used to the new life he'd been thrust into.
Dead leaves broke underfoot, few birds chirruped, breaking the silence as Artemis wandered among the trees. He blinked with curious eyes, a smile on his lips as he stepped over roots, listening to the rush of water which had seemed so far away before when he'd begun his walk but now sounded alarmingly close. Perhaps he should find the river then head back... That seemed like a good idea.

Artemis's smile however suddenly faltered as he stepped up on a large root, one hand on the tree it belonged to to steady himself; Which way WAS back? He snapped a look over his shoulder, and was met with a wall of trees. He bit his bottom lip, the sickening feeling that comes with the realisation of being lost in a foreign environment settling on him. He stepped down off the root, nearly tripping over in the process, as he took a few hurried steps back the way he'd come, only to be met with yet more trees.
How far had he walked?!
Coming to the conclusion that he was well and truly lost, Artemis was about to consider his options when the sound of breaking leaves once more broke the quiet; But due to being stood still, Artemis was immediately aware that the culprit wasn't him. "...Hello?!" He called out, peering through the trees in an effort to locate the source. Knowing his luck it would be a rabbit or some similar forest creature.

[François Laffont]

You’d think Franck was able to sense people before they showed up, with his power and all. But Franck was precisely trying not let any emotion other than his to affect him right now and perhaps it explained how he managed to end up with Artemis nearby without him knowing it. The distance also helped him not be as receptive to the boy’s feelings but he could still hear him call out. Franck assumed he could decide not to answer. If the boy was with someone and talked only to make sure they were alone, he didn’t want to disturb them. But there was something in the tone that had Franck hesitate before simply walking away from this other... student? He couldn’t really see him just yet but he assumed this was a student. Who else would be here? Franck was not paranoid enough to assume this was some killer going after lonely students in the woods. He was too afraid of horror movies to imagine he’d live one.

Staying still was not really a good decision though so Franck chose to walk towards where he assumed the voice came from. As he did, he let his power reach out and he could feel the boy’s presence. There was something in there that had him quicken his pace until he could see him. It wasn’t fear but it wasn’t too far from it either. “Sorry. Did I startle you?” he asked as he appeared. He didn't think he knew this guy. Of course, Franck would not pretend he knew everyone at school but he believed he knew a great bunch. He sure didn't think he could forget a face easily and so assumed they never introduced themselves to each other.

Either way, Franck offered him a sympathetic smile. “I was just walking around too. My name’s Franck.” Although he introduced himself, Franck offered no hand to shake. He gave him a brief nod. It was not necessary to shake a hand and get more emotions flowing to him. He was already trying not to frown from those he got in this moment. He hoped he didn’t startle him. If he did though, this guy was even easier to scare than Franck and he shouldn’t walk through woods. Franck might be easy to startle but sounds of leaves and branches cracking was not scaring him. In here, it could just be the wind or an animal. He knew those sounds enough not to be scared of them.

[Artemis James]

Artemis generally wasn't one to panic. He was a confident sort, and it took a lot to rattle him into fear. Even while in such a state his natural stubbon nature wouldn't allow him to come across as such; He could be exceptionally defiant, and the last thing he wanted to be to anyone was a burden. However, being placed in such a sharply different setting to his home and with knowing little to no one at the Academy bar his twin, Artemis was feeling particularly vulnerable when he lost his barings.

For a moment there was no reply to his cry saving for more crunching leaves, the realisation that it likely was nothing more then a creature of the woods settling upon him; With a deep breath, he opted for considering other options. Before he could so much as muse on that thought however, the breaking of leaves underfoot suddenly grew louder. Artemis froze a moment, his eyes wide as he slowly looked over his shoulder in the direction of the sound; The voice which then called out to him and the sudden appearance of the voice's source from among the throng of trees made Artemis visibly flinch in surprise, a hand on his chest as he blinked at the young man. "Jesus, don't go creeping around like that, you'll give a guy a heart attack!" He spoke as a small smile crept across his lips only to erupt in a wide, almost goofy grin of relief.
Of course he wasn't going to act like he'd been lost, or in any way in a small state of panic. He breathed out, blinking at the guy; He was well dressed, and either the same age as or perhaps a touch older then himself, with a smile that was positively warming. Having dealt with the harsh attitude of his sister, being given a friendly expression was a welcome change.

"Well I was just, you know. Getting my barings," He replied, glancing round the web of trees and branches. The guy offered his name, Franck, and from the accent lacing some of the words he spoke he was clearly European. French. "... Franck? Pretty swarve sounding name. I'm Artemis." He offered his own name in return without hesitation; His name was quite feminine, but he'd learnt not to care too much if others picked up on that fact. Most people didn't. He held out his hand for his newfound forest comrade to shake, being unaware of Franck's power or the issues he had in regards to physical contact.

[François Laffont]

Franck was easy to startle. When he realised he surprised the boy, he startled as well. “Sorry,” he responded with a sheepish smile appearing on his face. He certainly never meant to scare anyone. “I heard you and I didn’t want you to freak out by staying silent,” he explained. Although he did freak him out. Oops. Still, he could tell the boy was not really mad at him. It was best to know what caused the leaves to move than worry what it might be. And Franck doubted he looked very threatening. He was tall and in shape but he didn’t think there was anything scary about his appearance. He couldn’t intimidate anyone, really.

Even if he tried to stay calm, Franck did get a spark of panic from him. He assumed it was because of him and that little jump scare he caused. “Oh, I see. You’re new, or you just never explored this part of the school grounds before?” Franck asked as the boy gave him an explanation as to what he was doing here. Franck had a light frown as the boy’s response to his name, not entirely sure if he got it right but he decided not to care about it. It wouldn’t be the first time he didn't get everything someone told him.

Another tiny frown appeared for a second at the boy’s name. Artemis. It sounded a lot like Aramis to Franck, one of the Three Musketeers. He didn’t think it was actually a goddess’ name, mainly because he didn’t think about Greek mythology right now. “Nice to meet you,” he said. He looked at the hand for a moment but still decided to shake it. The contact wouldn’t last long and Franck did his best not to feel anything he shouldn’t but he still felt like this handshake was weird and gave the boy a smile that could almost appear apologetic for it. “You like this place?” he asked, to change the subject.