Done With That James Family

[Casper & Jasper Emory]

Casper and Jasper were sitting in the common area of their room, both playing the newest Street Fighter game. It always felt good to play a fighting game when they were not in the best of mood; it helped them not do anything stupid. Even if they actually had something 'stupid' planned to do later to get themselves in trouble. They were just both in a bad mood, even if they did come back to a nice gift from Franck. A gift that they had already devoured and had cheered them up for a moment, but their bad mood was still hanging around.

They could not even figure out what was the full cause of it, but they were just not happy. So they were fighting it out, button mashing as they played different fighters against one another and sat on the couch snacking. Other than their little plan for later, they didn't want to do anything or deal with anyone. Casper did let his brother know that he was going to be texting Franck as if he was Jasper because he wanted to talk to his brother's boyfriend. Jasper had no problem with it and the two of them did basically in a way date Franck together with how they talked about what Jasper should do and test out.

That was something again to worry about for later. It was not smart to deal with people when they were in a bad mood, the brothers knew that. Yet, apparently the person who had just knocked at their door did not know that. Well, the person could not have known that they were in a bad mood, so they could not really fault them. "It's open!" The brothers yelled in unison but didn't move from where they were and kept playing their video game.

((Tag:Artemis James))

[Artemis James]

It had been some weeks since the events of that fateful cruise. Artemis's bruises may have faded completely but the memory had not. The boy had never taken his ability to be a threat... It was a toxin, granted, but it was one that was dispersed so quickly by the blood that he never believed it had any real potential for permanent harm. That was however until Artemis found himself dealing with an Emory fighting for his life as a result of his poison.
The events of that moment were ingrained into his memory, haunting him. However accidental it had been for the toxin to transfer,
it had still occurred, and it still had been him who injected it. Since that day, Artemis had given the Emory twins a wide birth; He'd avoided them when he had to, or simply ignored their presence... And they, in return, had seemingly opted to do the same for him. While this situation was possibly the best outcome for Artemis, as the boys didn't seem to want anyone in authority involved or to take any sort of revenge against him, the boy simply couldn't leave things as they were. The memories raked him with a mixture of anger and guilt, at Casper, at himself, at how that whole situation felt as though it had spiralled out of control. He couldn't spend the rest of his time at Bellefonte stepping on eggshells... If they accepted it or not, he needed to make some sort of final interaction; Lay his cards out on the table.

Artemis spent a few moments stood directly outside of the door, blinking at it and mentally preparing himself for the confrontation. He knew enough about the twins to know that they wouldn't merely accept what he had to say and politely show him out; Knowing their track record, maybe he should had left a first aid kit back at his room ready and waiting. Either way, he needed to stand his ground, and try his best to purify the bad blood between them. With a deep breath, Artemis gave the door a knock, listening intently for a answer; He knew they were there... He could hear them playing video games. The reply came, and with a gathering sense of foreboding, Artemis slowly took hold of the door's handle and opened it.
He stood in the doorway a moment, watching the twins battle it out in a blaze of button mashing, before speaking, his voice upbeat. "... Street Fighter? I was always pretty good at that," He spoke, selecting a causal remark to begin with, hoping it would set the conversation's tone at a calm one.

[Casper & Jasper Emory]

The Emory twins didn't even bother to look to see who it was; they were in the middle of a match at the moment. Plus they figured the person would speak up and they would be able to tell who it was by their voice alone. When Artemis did speak the brother's paused their game for a moment and just looked at the TV screen for a moment. Then ever so slowly they turned their heads to look at Artemis with looks that were a mix of boredom and agitation. Why was he visiting them?

They were pretty sure that they had both silently agreed to just never go around one another again. The brothers had not even told on him for what had happened to Casper and they even stayed away from him for the sake of not beating him up. Yet here he was. Was he a masochist? Was he looking for a beating or something else from the two of them? He spoke of being pretty good at the game, so Casper held the controller out for him to take. If he was good at it then he could join them in a game. It would be a great way for Jasper to get out his urge to kill the guy after all and watching it would make Casper feel better too.

"Join us for a few rounds." Jasper said as he un-paused the game and defeated his brother and went to the fighter selection screen. "While you tell us why you even bothered to come here." Casper added, moving a little to make some space for Art to sit down on the couch; right in the middle of the two of them of course.

[Artemis James]

Artemis didn't flinch when the twins cast him equally pissed off glares, nor did he return them. He blinked at the pair, keeping his expression calm, a small smile on his lips. He was prepared for this... He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he needed to settle what he could with the twins. No doubt they'd try and wind him up, bait him... Try to rile a reaction out of him. A least he was prepared for it this time, and had every intention on staying calm and hopefully letting the dust finally rest between the three of them. What Artemis was hoping and what would actually happen could potentially be two completely different outcomes, but he was going to try and aim for the best option possible. He didn't want to spend his entire time at Bellefonte on edge around them.

He waited, quietly taking a slow breath as he watched them, expecting an insult or some other sharp tongued comment; Instead, the one he knew to be Casper by the way he spoke suggested he join them. Artemis's eyes widened a moment in surprise, having expected a far more aggressive response. Jasper added a far sharper comment, indicating his irritation at the boy's intrusion. With another deep breath, Artemis gave a small nod; He needed to do this... "If you want me too," He responded, moving closer to the pair, noting how they moved to allow him to sit between them; He wasn't sure if it was an intimidation tactic or simply so they could easily deal with him as a pair if things turned sour, but he took the seat. He was determined not to let it come to blows this time... Not again... Not after what happened.

"... I came because I wanted to talk," He answered, taking the controller and shifting his gaze to the screen; his gaze lingered on Casper for a few moments, a tightness forming in his chest; The guy might not have been sitting there if things had taken a darker turn... "... I've stayed away from you both, and you've stayed away from me... ... But..." He trailed off as he flicked between a few characters, considering which to select, trying to not allow the memories of that moment back on the cruise ship to flood his mind. "I just couldn't leave it at that... But once I'm done, I'll go, okay?" Hopefully the pair would be more inclined to listen if he promised to leave afterwards.

[Casper & Jasper Emory]

"I would not have suggested it if I didn't want you to." Jasper pointed out, his told going a little bit cold. He didn't like that stupid response, it was stupid. Okay, the brothers were clearly not in the best of mood still and even tiny things that didn't matter were bothering them. As for why they had him sit in the middle of them, it was for a lot of reason. They liked to have people between them; it allowed them to have more control over a situation. They were what you had to go through in order to get away, they could easily trap someone, and of course it was also for intimidation.

Everyone was their toys after all and you had to have control over your toys. Even the ones you wanted to break and bury away or give to your dog to destroy in every way possible. "Hmm." the brothers said in unison when he said that he had come just to talk. They figured as much, but why did he come to talk? Talk about what even? There was nothing to talk about besides did he want to do them, fight them, or if he just liked pain. He was speaking, even if it was trailing off and Jasper just went ahead and selected his fighter, waiting for Artemis to do the same so they could battle it out.

"Why can't you just leave it at that? We did tell on you. I kept my brother from beating you up and things are fine." Casper said as he moved a little to be a bit more comfortable on the couch. "Sort of." Jasper muttered after his brother's words about everything being fine. They just felt different overall and they didn't like it. The boat trip and then the camping trip, both events didn't fully go as the brothers would have liked or at least things happened that they didn't fully want to happen because they had no control.

[Artemis James]

Artemis didn't raise to Casper's cold tone, more then used to it from Lucy. He had questioned the offer of a few games just to be certain it was what the pair wanted; If this confrontation was going to go in his favour, he needed to play their game, stay calm, and once he was done leave with hopefully everything in tact.
Once he'd announced what he'd come there for, the pair didn't reply for a few moments, before Casper broke the silence. His words were something he'd gone over in his mind almost on repeat before this moment; The twins had left him alone, they hadn't told anyone about what he'd done... Why rock the boat, when it would likely only result in him being hurt? Overall, logic dictated that the best option would have been to simply carry on avoiding and ignoring the twins.

But he couldn't.

The memories of what thad happened on the cruise ship truly haunted him... It still physically shook him, and it had brought back with vivid intensity what had happened while he'd been on the streets looking for Lucy. He'd never wish that horrific feeling of terror filled desperation on anyone... And yet he had inflicted it on another person. Artemis furrowed his brow slightly, before glancing to Jasper when he made a mumbled contradiction of his twin's comment. He however shifted his gaze back to the screen, finally selecting his fighter.
He didn't know if what he'd done had affected Casper in any way emotionally, but nearly dying had to mess with you in some way... He doubted everything was really fine. He bit his bottom lip a moment, tracing his fingers slowly over the buttons as the stage was selected. Now that he was here, he was growing increasingly nervous; If the twins decided to turn on him, it was highly likely he wouldn't be able to get out in time. "... If... if it means anything to you, I didn't do what I did on purpose. No one deserves to feel... To feel like that." He glanced to Casper, before looking back to the TV; Any moment, he would say the wrong thing and one of them would surely lash out. Still, Artemis fought to keep any quiver from his voice. He didn't want them to know he was nervous. "Even after everything... ... I shouldn't have come at you like that." He wasn't sure if he should apologise formally again, since it likely would only antagonise the pair.

[Casper & Jasper Emory]

The brother's really didn't understand the boy, at least not like they thought he did. He was easy to get upset and they knew what to say to get a rise out of him but they didn't understand his need for things to be perfect or something. The brother's didn't want anything to do with him or his sister anymore and they would have preferred if he would have never come over in the first place. Yes, Jasper was still pissed off that Art had almost killed his brother, and Casper had not forgotten about it. Yet, Jasper was not going to do anything about it because his brother told him not to. As for if Casper was scared from the event or not, he was not.

The brothers grew up in an orphanage and then in a circus, there had been a couple of time when one or the two of them almost died. Death was not something new to them and with the tricks they had to pull off, death was right around the corner. Be it death by an animal they were working off or the wrong kind of landing or fall. They didn't fear it and it was not going to stop or change how they were about things in life. In fact death made them all the more likely to try things because life was short and in their minds they could die any moment. "Yeah, i figured that you didn't do it on purpose with how you were being a baby about it once you did it. That's why I told Jasper to not kill you." Casper responded back, not even bothering to look at Artemis as he said that.

Jasper nodded his head in agreement and that was the truth why he had not ended the boy’s life and dealt with the consequences. "You should not have. I was minding my own business and you started it." Casper said, perfectly fine with making the boy feel guilty. Jasper on the other hand was perfectly fine attacking Art's character as soon as the fight started, even if the other boy was or was not paying attention. "So you apologized. That it?" Jasper spoke up, his tone still much like his brothers. Cold, sharp, to the point, and still so done with the James Family.

[Artemis James]

For Artemis, it wasn't a desire for perfection that drove him to the Emory's room, but a strong need to put things right for his own sake emotionally. He knew the twins likely wouldn't care less if he apologised or not, and deep down Artemis honestly didn't even care if they accepted it or chose not to; As long as it was said, and there was a neutral understanding between the three of them, that was enough.
Franck had painted their actions and attitudes in life in perhaps a biased positive light, but while Artemis didn't agree with him overall, he'd been considering the Frenchman's words. The twins, in his view, acted the way they did out of some sick desire to rile reactions out of others; He was certain a physiologist would have a field day with the pair. That being said, they did only seem to have reacted against Artemis because he'd done just that... Played into their game and reacted in a manner which amused them. As soon as it turned down a road they weren't happy with however, the twins played their avoidance card; which after this, Artemis was more then happy for them to keep on playing.
If he was going to secure that though, and get out of this un harmed, for now he needed to appear as agreeable as possible.

Artemis narrowed gaze narrowing slightly as the game started; Jasper immediately began an attacking onslaught. Artemis hadn't played the game in some time, so at first his character took quite a beating, his health bar descending rapidly.
"Most people get pretty emotional when it comes to their family," Artemis replied, ignoring Casper's "baby" comment, his tone remaining neutral and quite matter of fact; It was taking a lot of his emotional strength to keep it that way.
"You both must understand that pretty well. But I also understand to some degree that what you did was never about me, or about my sister. It was about you both getting what you wanted, a reaction I guess. That's why you didn't take what I said into consideration... Because to you, it was never about that to begin with." He took a slow breath, his fingers becoming faster at mashing the button sequences as he began to pick up the game's mechanics once again. "If someone else had reacted the way I had, I guess you'd have gone after their sister or brother... It's not about the people, it's about the outcome."

[Casper & Jasper Emory]

The brother would not say that Artemis was wrong about them liking to get rile a reaction out of people. It was something that they had always done, hell they were paid to do it when they were in the circus. You had to get the crowd to feel, to love, hate, want more, and to well; react! Plus they were orphans and for them it sometimes became a matter of well standing out, being left alone, and just living by getting people to react. To know how to get under their skin, to read their body language and figure out what was going on with them.

Jasper main focus was on the game, trying to get Art's characters health as down as fast as possible in a short time. Then when Artemis actually started to pay somewhat attention he just changed up his tactic and started to play smarter. He too was pretty good at playing the game since he and his brother had gotten their hands on the game. It was important to note that the game nor the system was actually there, but what others didn't know was not important. Right? "Obviously. The problem is not that you got upset; it’s that you are so stupid to think that it was a lie. We like to get under peoples skin, but we generally say things in a way that don't give direct proof to it being the truth or not. So when I said we did fuck, we fucked." Casper pointed out.

"Yet you were a baby about it and whined about how it was a lie and attacked my brother over it." Jasper added, hitting the buttons to pull out a combo. They both were rolling their eyes at Artemis next words, disappointed that he was close but not quite right on what was going on here. Was he dropped on his head as a baby? Possibly by Lucy, they were fine believing that. "Sleeping with your sister was not even planned by us. Your sister brought it up as a way to really get at you because you didn't like us." Casper said, in a very much 'for your information' sort of way.

"We didn't go after her and my brother honestly didn't give a damn about you when he did it. Your sister is hot and also wanted to have sex with him, so they did." Jasper said being very blunt about it and then quickly did another combo.

[Artemis James]

Artemis knew he was on tentative ground. It was like skating on thin ice, but every sentence bought you potentially closer and closer to that moment then you'd crash through and sink into the icy claws of the water. But he'd gone into this confrontation knowing exactly how the twins would play, knowing they would be as blunt as possible, to get a rile out of him or to simply showcase how little they cared for his very being, or likely a combination of both. He was aware it was going to take a high level of emotional strength on his part to not let himself get wound up, to refuse them the reactions they likely wanted; But if Artemis was anything, he was stubbon.
He wasn't particularly paying attention to the fight happening digitally, and was more so focused on selecting each word as carefully as possible; The game was actually working in his favour, giving Jasper an outlet of violence against him; Artemis didn't so much care for winning it.

"It's not a case of being stupid," He spoke in response, giving neither twin a glance, acting as though his focus was on the game. "I know Lucy better then I know either of you. Lucy and the truth never went hand in hand... ... She's been cruel to me before, I assumed she was being cruel and lying to me again."
Artemis, deep down, still franticly didn't believe that Lucy would sleep with Casper just to hurt him; Even if he knew better, it made it so much easier to cope if he believed in his own personal, private lie. But the twins didn't need to know about that. Jasper's next words sent a small flurry of anger in his chest, as to Artemis it implied that Casper had been purely innocent. Artemis allowed the emotion to build, then shifting his thoughts, calming himself and allowing the feeling to disperse; He focused on remembering how Lucy looked the last time they spoke, the hate in her eyes... The cruel poison in her words. It made it easier to hear what the twins were saying, as much as deep down it was hurting him.

"I know he didn't give a damn about me," Artemis replied softly. "You just wanted what you wanted. That's it, end of story." He may have picked up his combos and his skill had vastly improved from the start from the fight, but Artemis was increasingly losing his vigour for it; He'd done what he wanted to do, and he hoped it was enough to not only quell his guilt, but having given the twins so little a reaction they wouldn't bother to play him or his sister again, which would hopefully allow him to leave this room now unscathed. "... That's all I came to say. Once this game is done, I'll leave you both alone. I doubt you want my company for any longer then you have to have it."

[Casper & Jasper Emory]

"You still were being stupid. Stupid enough to think that you knew Lucy as much as you thought. Stupid for thinking she was lying and taking it out on someone other than her." Jasper pointed out, with Casper nodding in agreement. The mood was already starting to get darker by the moment. Even if there was a game that was helping, the two of them were still in a bad mood. They did not have time to deal with Artemis trying to make his point that was going to be stupid no matter what he said. The only thing they would accept was an apology and an admittance that he had been wrong about well everything.

Other than that, they felt like he was just trying to lie to himself and make it as if it was not his fault. At least the brother's tended to accept when something was their fault, if they really felt that it was their fault. "Talked about me needing self-control, but it’s you who need it. You can't even control your power and you are older than us. It's pathetic." Jasper added. Now he was clearly being mean, wanting Artemis to just give up and leave. He was wasting his breath; they hated him for more than just him hurting Casper. "Right." Casper said with a nod when Artemis seemed to get that it was not about him, and that things had happened the way they did because they just did.

"If that’s it, you can leave." Jasper said as he paused the game and looked at Artemis. He didn't even want to end it; he just wanted the other boy gone. It was already taking everything within him to not just beat the guy up with his controller. Even Casper was gripping the couch a little to keep himself settled. It would be so easy to hurt the boy in between them. They wanted to say more, to tell him to leave their Alex alone but they didn't bother. If she liked this boy better than them and wanted to be friends with this jerk, then that was her choice. They were done with all of them.

[Artemis James]

They really needed to come up with an alternative insult then "stupid". Artemis remained quiet as it was used repeatedly in the same sentence. They were the ones who truly deserved that descriptive... Stupid, pathetic, sociopathic little kids who thought they could read everyone like a book. If the situation had been mirrored, if Artemis had messed with one of them when the other asked him not to... Did they really think they'd have acted any differently then he had? Surely they, of all people, should understand the desire to protect their sibling?
Perhaps they couldn't see it from his standpoint... But would explaining himself help in any way to quell the tension between them? Likely not... But then, had he even tried to see it from their point of view before recently? Actually considering trying to understand and rationalise the twins' actions hadn't been an option he'd truly considered pior to having hurt Casper. He was only just, after laying awake for a number of nights with his mind focused on nothing but the guilt he felt, had begun to understand to some degree why the twins did what they did. That wasn't to say he agreed with their actions, but had gone some way to try and work out why.

"... Actually I only came into my ability a few months ago," Artemis spoke matter of factly. "So forgive me if I'm not exactly an expert at using it just yet."
Mutants seemed to come into their ability at different times during puberty, and Artemis was one of the late bloomers; Lucy had come into her mutation before him. He'd just imputed another combo attack when the screen froze, Artemis blinking with slightly widened eyes at the pause screen; He then tightened his grip on the controller, part of him wanting to listen to Jasper's request, to leave the room and to simply get as far from the potentially aggressive situation as he could; But still the guilt he felt at having done what he had to Casper remained, mixed with some reluctance to leave things as they were.
Artemis lowered his eyeline, his gaze focusing on the buttons on the controller as he traced his fingertips over them. He was silent for a few moments. "Okay, I'll go," He spoke finally after battling silently with his emotions, placing the controller beside him and getting up off the sofa. He paused a moment, and looked back at the twins. "... I'm sorry for what happened. You both... See the world and people differently to me," He spoke calmly, honestly, although now his voice had begun to shake sightly. "I don't see it your way, and I don't think I ever will... But I understand a little as to why you do what you do. I'm sorry for not seeing it beforehand." He then shrugged, before making his way over towards the door. Perhaps it would take time... Either way, Artemis had stepped forward and addressed the situation, and had formally apologised; Now he could heal.

[Casper & Jasper Emory]

Stupid was their default word when they were just too angry to give a person a proper insult. Plus if they gave him a proper one, that would just fuel their anger and they would end up letting it all out. They had so many other words that they wanted to use on him, to say on him, and make the boy cry. It would be easy enough to get under his skin, if they kept pushing and going for things they knew would upset the boy. Yet, they were in no mood for any of it. They wanted him gone; they wanted him out of their lives forever.

Especially because he was hanging out with someone that they cared about after what he had done. It was true that with time they probably would have gotten over it, but they just felt rubbed the wrong way by the other boy. They felt rubbed the wrong way by his sister. Even if the two James siblings; the twins would not count them as twins, were two different people they were both enemies of the Emory family. They could not even think about anything being different between them and the boy. Just hearing his voice made them want to shove the controller down his throat and have him feel what it was like to not be able to breathe.

"Yeah, yeah. Why are you still here again?" Jasper asked when Artemis pointed out that he was still new to his ability. They could care less if he was new or not. They were still going to use it against him. He was still talking, still there, but Jasper had already stopped listening and pulled out his phone to send out a text. Casper was still listening, if only by because one of them had to pay attention in case they needed to teach Artemis a lesson about being foolish enough to come into their room and talk smack.

Artemis said that he understood, but Casper didn't think he get it. How could he get it when Casper and Jasper didn't always get it? He didn't say anything the whole time however and just let Artemis talk before getting up to open the door when Art got up to leave. "Uh-huh. Well nice chat. You said your piece. Now go." Casper said as he held the door open for Artemis, and would close it immediately as soon as Artemis would step through and out of his room. Then he would return to his brother and join him back on the couch to go back to their game.