The Brunette couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous. It wasn’t often that Artemitra felt nervous. She didn’t have a reason to. Being at the Celestial castle, with her people-whom were like family. They were safe, living the life they wanted before. Yet, the prospect of training made her nervous. Artemis couldn’t recall the last time, she had used her Celestial energy; not to it’s full potential anyways. It would be a lie, if she said she felt confident. It was quiet, the opposite. She felt out of touch with her own energy and talents. And for a Star, it was quiet sad thought really. As Drunk, as she may have been when she agreed to accept O’s training classes. Artemis knew she also needed them. So, she wasn’t sure why she was feeling nervous.

Phe, was one of her longest friends and leader. Artemis trusted her. And knowing, how much Phe was helping the younger one’s, come into their own light and abilities. Surely, it’d be no problem in helping her get back in touch with her own. The elder Celestial tried to remember the encouraging words of Hanseol. If he could do it, so could she. Whilst, the Elder was used to giving advice to the younger Celestials. It felt kind of nice and heart-warming, that one of the younger one’s was the one giving her advice and had encouraged her to go for it. Who knows, maybe it might go a lot more smoother than she knew. Telling herself, not to worry too much. If she worried, stress wouldn’t help her project her energy. Hopefully, she had nothing to worry about. And she was just over-thinking for no reason.

As she stood in her room; looking at herself in the mirror; wearing a tank top with some leggings. It seemed decent enough for a training session. At least, it was comfortable and seemed easy around to move in. Artemis didn’t want to be too constricted in her clothing, if she was wearing anything tighter. “It’s time to embrace, that shine once more Artemitra Bluemoon.” The Celestial told herself, as she pulled her hair up into a tight ponytail. After slipping on her shoes. Artemis made her way out of her room and towards the training room in the castle.

It seemed like she was a little early, as Ophelia wasn’t there yet. So the Brunette decided to to try and warm up a little bit; whilst waiting for her. Trying to see if she could summon a little of her energy. But the Celestial’s energy was a small flicker. A little glimmer, before it faded away. Artemis sighed slightly. “Okay, maybe this might be a little harder than I thought.” she muttered to herself. If something was blocking her, she hoped that Ophelia would help her figure it out. Spending 100 years locked away in steel cages, and then few years scared to use her energy; no wonder her energy was mere of a flicker right now. It had been suppressed for so long.

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Ophelia nodded, she figured Artemis may have a different answer about whether she would stay considering she had lived on the Isle freely for several years for that and just like Ophelia, actually really enjoyed her time there. Phe had liked having somewhere that truly felt like home to her and for the first time in her very long life, somewhere had actually felt a little like home. Until the Ailwards had taken that safety net, twisted it up and threw it away in spectacular fashion “The problem is, not everyone would have, nor would anyone have expected them too, it’s like taking away someone’s entire future and it could have been for far longer than a century” it was a very hard call to make, how did you stop a species that were constantly targeted and chased from ever dying again? Ophelia’s approach was to build a strong and reckoned with community, along with finding any roaming celestials out there and bringing them to Evermore before any harm could befall them, thankfully, her Wayfinder intuition told her whenever there was someone new to find “But the ones who were dragged there after falling, who never really got to live first or have any positive memories of Skye? I imagine they wouldn’t be so willing” she admitted with a sad smile, who could blame them?

There were a lot of what ifs about this whole situation, the Ailward had their way of trying to solve the problem which Ophelia would say failed miserably and now she was trying hers, she wasn’t harsh with the other celestials but she did make the explicit request they stayed close to the west of the city for their residences if they moved out of the castle, that way she was only a few minutes away if she sensed any of them were in real danger. She was also making sure they knew how to use their energy, especially because using it in distress was what alerted her to the face someone needed her help. She wanted to support them in every day and Evermore proved to be a good place for that because no one wanted to break the peace treaty, one she intended to get her people’s name on so that they were equally protected as any other faction here.

Their training was going pretty well, Ophelia didn’t have major concerns for Artemis because she’d seen her use energy before and she was pretty powerful back in the day, may have even taught Phe a few things at one point. She understood why she stopped though “Yeah well the world’s unexpected, you know this” she teased with a laugh, teaching them to defend themselves meant teaching them to be ready for anything and with a lot of other supernatural species out there “Aw but yours is so pretty” she replied with a laugh but did as she was asked and made her own stream of light. Thankfully they were both pretty safe to do whatever they wanted when it came to fighting.

Ophelia watched carefully as Artemis followed her instructions, seeing the way she just about managed to emulate her motions though she did have a minor slip for a moment, that was okay, for someone out of practice she was doing well with control. “Okay we’re going to play a little game I supposed, the mirrors act as a reflector for the light, when the ball hits it, it will bounce back, so the aim is to bounce it off in a direction the other can’t catch it, first one to drop the ball loses” and there were two of them which meant they would be constantly moving, it was a great way to exercise control and restraint though, not only would they be controlling their own energy but also each other's.

“Whenever you’re ready” Phe smiled at the other brunette in the reflection of the mirror and then threw her ball of golden light towards the mirror, it bounced off and went flying towards the far end of the room, at the same time she watched the silver ball of light in Artemis’ arms ready to chase after it herself

There were too many What if’s about the situation. And it was starting to make her head spin a little bit, trying to figure out how things would have played out, if the situation had been handled differently. “I know, that along with the never-ending list of What If’s...it’s a hard situation. But, I can’t help but think, partially things might have turned out to be a little different if they would have approached us, about the problem at hand...instead of keeping it away from us, and just locking us up.” But she was aware, not everyone would be lucky. Some would have still be locked up, in cages if they had tried to run. Artemis nodded sadly with a sigh. “I think, they might be even more angry and upset than me. All they’ve known was captivity.” She wouldn’t expect the young one’s to have stayed willingly...or anyone else, if the situation had been different. Each to their own, when it comes to decision. “As angry and upset, I am about everything. A part of me misses the good old days. I am not sure, if that’s a good thing...or a bad thing.” Artemis admitted. A part of her would always linger on the past, it seemed. As much as she didn’t want to. It kept coming back.

It almost seemed like a long game of tug of war. The Celestials vs. the Ailwards. Trying to see which Faction would eventually win out in this complicated situation. Artemis was well aware that Phe still needed to handle the peace contract. But, when? She wasn’t sure how many of the other Celestial’s knew..and what they thought. But, no doubt it needed to be done. Especially if they all wanted to stay here in Evermore, for the long run.

Artemitra was slowly, feeling like she was getting back with her routes. In touch with her true self, as she felt the energy flowing around her. It almost felt liberating. At the least she had the safety and freedom, to do so. As Phe teased her back, Artemis laughed softly. “Mhh, what a classic comeback.” she smiled, but she knew that O was right. “Aww, but yours is so beautysful and golden.” It seemed like their adorable cute come-backs as usual, were coming into play again. Artemis putting the emphasis on the word Beautysful. By adding the cheeky s.

At the mention of a Game. Artemis smiled softly. It seemed like, quiet the energetic game; as well as making you designed how to think. “I am down for that game.” Artemis said with a nod. Giving her a smile back in the mirror. When she was ready. Artemitra threw her own ball of light at the mirror. Her throw was sharp; with quiet a good amount of force. The ball bounced off in a direction away from Ophelia and her, towards one corner of the room. And the game truly began. Both of the girls chasing after the balls of energy, that constantly kept flying and bouncing about. The brunette, was making sure not to bump into Ophelia. Otherwise, both the girls would end up on the floor...and most likely the energy balls too. And Artemis didn’t intend on loosing so easily. She was quite competitive. Trying to make it harder on Ophelia, to catch the ball of light.

Ophelia agreed, had some of them known the truth then at least they could find some peace in knowing they weren’t in the wrong or maybe those who complied could have been given some freedom on the Isle, she was sure they had the means to make sure the fallen stars didn’t leave, the cages were overkill. “I think they were scared of our abilities and wanted to make sure you all couldn’t use them” steel acted as a complete counteractive to celestial energy, surrounded by it there were no visions of the future, no stopping time and energy generation which could be used to attack them. “Hell I’m afraid of it sometimes” she admitted with a shrug, especially parts about time because really, they had so little understanding of the thing they had control over. Aureus perhaps had the most understanding of all and even he would be hesitant to touch any timeline. “Either way though, I think it’s only natural for our people to be angry and even for some to want vengeance, though they have to understand even with a stripped back guard, going up against them would almost be like suicide” that’s why she was attempting to play this all smart.

Ophelia had her own personal issues with the Ailwards but the overall opinion she got from everyone who was involved was that it had been handled wrong, she’d heard that from aspects and celestials alike. It seemed like a really bad idea to take the fighting further and while she would never compromise or risk her people’s freedom again, she also knew they had to play ball and had told every celestial she’d spoken about this topic to the same. Her intention was to sign the peace treaty to secure them the home they needed, even if it meant agreeing to peace with those who wronged them.

Ophelia laughed at the way the other woman used a made-up word which honestly sounded like baby-talk and she shook her head “I know your game A, no distractions” she teased with a laugh, they were both very competitive people and while Phe knew she was far more practiced in this than the other woman was, she didn’t expect to win easily. Artemis was older than her and more experienced in some ways and even 100 years off wasn’t going to kill that beautiful spirit Phe had come to know. “Kick you down and you always get up stronger” Phe teased with a proud smile, she loved being around fighters.

As the game began, the Wayfinder instantly got moving, chasing after the silver ball of light which bounced fast and sharp against the mirror, she managed to contain the momentum behind it before she sent it back the other way and then got ready to find the golden one. It was quite the active game, both throwing in angles designed to make it difficult for the other to get them but more importantly, it showcased both of them controlling not just their own but the other’s energy. She even felt herself breaking somewhat of a sweat and she dived and rushed all around the room, sending the balls with more and more force and creativity. The next time she got the golden one she smirked and used her ability to split it in two “Let’s make this more interesting” she spoke with a chuckle as she threw the two, now smaller balls of light against the surface and chuckled “Feeling tired now?” she taunted with a laugh as she continued to chase down the energy.

As much, as Artemis wished things would have turned out differently. There was no use wondering about it. That time had passed by, what happened...happened. And they couldn’t change that. She thought about what Ophelia said, about the Ailwards being scared of their powers. “Aren’t they supposed to be the most powerful beings?” Artemis asked, with a slight raised eyebrow. It seemed a little...strange. That beings of such a magnitude of power and status, would be scared of Fallen Stars. But then no matter how old someone could be, and what they’re capable off. They still got scared. “I suppose, our magic can be a little..daunting. Especially the essence of time manipulation.” The Celestial had only ever stopped time a few times, in her existence back in the days when she had been using her abilities. It was harder than it looked. It wasn’t a power, she had used often. Not wanting to tamper too much with time. No one knew the consequences.

The Celestial had to agree that much. In her own time, she came to realise that going up against the Ailwards would be like suicide. “Let’s just hope, they’ll all realise that.” She breathed out. She couldn’t blame the others for being angry. She had experienced a lot of the same emotional turmoil the others did. So they were in the same boat. The only difference was, she had no intentions to pursue those thoughts; even if they were tempting sometimes.

Artemis hoped, eventually she could move past what happened at the Isle. And move on; without needing to fear the Ailwards for the rest of her existence. Whilst she would never forget, only time would heal her and maybe allow to forgive. But when? She had no idea. Like everyone else, she needed time.

As Ophelia teased her, Artemis gasped playfully. “I have, no idea what you’re talking about O.” she spoke, but gave the Wayfinder a cheeky smile. Maybe the Brunette was up to something. She just had no idea, what yet. After all, Ophelia did use her own energy against her earlier..time for a little cheeky pay-back; when Ophelia would least expect it, seemed like a fun idea. “Have you ever known me to give up?” Artemis countered slightly, smiling as Phe’s proud smile. But it was true. Artemis didn’t give up easily. And in some ways, the life the Celestials had led. It made some of them fighters; Artemis included. She didn’t like the idea, of cowering away. No matter what; Artemis always found a way to fight back. Nor did she have any intentions on giving up easily.

With the game being so active. It was getting interesting. Even though her legs were tingling a little bit in the muscles. She wasn’t giving up yet. When Ophelia split one of the balls in half. Artemis rose an eyebrow, at her words. “You’re not making me back down, that easily.” Artemis spoke as she chased after the balls once more, after tossing hers at the wall. It hit the wall with quiet an impact, bouncing between the curves the two walls closest to each other; twice. More of a distraction technique, than anything.

Once Artemis caught the two small balls. She smirked playfully to herself. The balls shifting into something in her grip. When Ophelia wasn’t looking. Artemis threw it at the Wayfinder. Having manipulated the Golden Celestial energy into a spider. The energy moved across Phe’s shoulder, crawling like a spider would. As her mind and energy manipulation willed it so.

“I don’t think they’re as powerful as most people believe them to be” she admitted with a shrug of her shoulders, sure they were immortal and could fly which made them pretty powerful but in the form of offensive powers? They didn’t have much and what little they did have, they knew the could only use in the name of protecting and keeping balance in the world “The guard definitely are powerful, they’ve trained for centuries in some cases but the aspects themselves? I’m not sure they could actually hurt anyone” she glanced over at Artemis and shrugged, maybe that was just her opinion but she feared other species far more than the aspects. Celestials however, were only as strong as their training in energy manipulation allowed them to be, it was a big sliding scale and could definitely go different ways “We wield one of the strongest magics in the world and while it’s less useful to use than others, I can see why they’d be wary” Ophelia had made it clear if they Ailward came anywhere near here people again, she could not back down quietly however.

Ophelia nodded, pursing her lips for a moment “They have to, there’s no way we move on from this and get to have semi-normal lives if they don’t” she spoke it sternly, she’d managed to convince most of them that the best course of action was to hold fire and that seemed to have worked for them for the past year or so. There had been a few incidents were celestials were tracked and she remembered Hanseol reporting he was attacked a few weeks back but aside from that, everything had been strangely quiet. Ophelia was in a place where she couldn’t keep arguing with people over the past. They needed to secure they place in this city soon or lose it and frankly, with the valkyr alliance strengthening and the Ailward seeming to tolerate their presence, there seemed like no better time to sign the peace treaty. She just needed to be sure everyone would adhere to it “I want to put in a meeting request to sign the treaty” she admitted as she glanced over at A to catch her reaction.

Ophelia knew the best way to motivate Artemis was to trigger her competitive spirit, she was very hard to get to back down and would rarely admit she was wrong or defeated, could be seen as both a blessing and a curse the Wayfinder supposed but today it was definitely useful. Ophelia had kept up with her training, both mentally, supernaturally and physically. It was a little obsessive she supposed because she never wanted to be seen as weak and so she trained to negate that possibility “That’s the spirit” she teased with a laugh “Giving up isn’t in the nature of people like us” because giving up usually meant death and none of them could afford for that to happen, it wasn’t just themselves in danger after all.

The game wasn’t an especially hard one for Phe, though Artemis was harder to keep up with than a lot of the others she introduced it to. Mostly because the other celestial was experienced with using her energy and just needed to get her mind in a good place and here strength back. With the number of things to chase after doubling, it was starting to get hard to chase everything down and not bump into each other which resulting in a couple of shoulder nudges playfully as Phe sent her two different balls in different directions “Oh you sure? I’ve practiced every day, I’m very hard to beat” she laughed as her eyes looked over her shoulder and she saw the spider.

Her expression showed a little discomfort but she was also impressed, making energy into animals took good focus “Well that’s not creepy at all, but I clean this entire castle, you really think I haven’t dealt with a few spiders?” she laughed and picked it up by one of the legs and giggled a little before it shifted into the form of arrows “I hope you’re good at catching cause these don’t bounce so easy” she spoke before she aimed and threw them one at a time towards Artemis and just like that, a game became sparring.

Phe’s perspective on the Ailwards, was fresh and new. She didn’t know many people, that thought the way Ophelia did, in regards to their powers. As surprising as it was, Maybe Ophelia had a certain point. The guards were a mixture of species. Some older and more powerful, than some. And with their training, to protect the Ailwards. No doubt, they could harm someone whom would pose as a threat to their faction and leaders. Artemis wasn’t entirely sure, where she stood on the subject of the Ailwards and their powers. Maybe she had believed them to be a powerful, as they made them out to be. The dragon forms, definitely added something to the impressive scale. Fearing the Ailwards, was quite possible. Given what they had done, to them. But other species, could be added to her list also.

Even if Phe’s voice was stern. The Celestial knew there was truth in her words. They had to learn how to live with the Ailwards, being in this city; sooner or later. Artemis rose a slight eyebrow,hearing O’s words about the meeting. “You sure about the contract?” Artemis asked her. Artemis knew, Ophelia wanted to be sure, where the contract was concerned; to make sure were no loop-holes and tricks in there. But considering, she wanted to call a meeting, it seemed like she was sure about it. “Do the others know yet?” Artemis knew, that Ophelia would eventually make a good decision. And even though, few might not be happy. It was, for the best to keep their place in Evermore.

When her competitive spirit was triggered, it wasn’t easy for her to back down. Unless she was extremely tired, or someone had better tactics at beating her. But the two girls, seemed pretty clever in tactics. So it was hard to say, whom would win out of the two of them. Could easily be a draw, with them. Artemis laughed at Ophelia teasing. “Even if I wasn’t a Celestial...giving up,wouldn’t be in my books.” No matter what her species would have been otherwise, she just seemed like someone whom would be naturally competitive in situations like these.

Even if Ophelia was hard to beat. Artemis didn’t intend on giving up. “You’re gonna have to try much harder, if you want me to lose .” she teased her back.

Seeing her reaction to the Spider, made her giggle slightly. “Yeah, I suppose silvery-blue spider isn’t scary.” She admitted. Watching as Ophelia formed the energy into arrows,she looked impressed. “Mhh, I always had quite good reflexes, I think.” When Phe sent the arrows in her direction. Artemis quickly caught them in her grip. The Brunette threw one of them back at Ophelia, as their game took a turn.

Before attempting to form an arrow herself from energy. At first, it turned into more of a long wiggly like worm,with a pointed end. “Well, that looks more like a snake.” Artemis laughed at her own creation. It took her a few moments, to smooth out the bumps. Before throwing them at Ophelia. One by one. As the two playfully used their energy to attack one another. Artemis dodged some of the attacks..or caught the energy between her own two hands.

Creating her energy, into a small spiral; almost resembling the movement of a tornado. She sent it flying at the Wayfinder.

Ophelia supposed she just refused to allow her to be afraid, if she did that then she would never be able to face those who had wronged her and tell them exactly what she thought of their actions and make them understand the consequences of their actions. Perhaps they didn’t have the upper hand and perhaps people saw them as a prey faction who spent their entire existence on the run but she saw so much more than that. She saw a quiet strength that very few people had, only resilient people could cope in a century of captivity and come out the other side sane. And while most tended on the side of fearing their powers, she understood the full and significant impact of celestial energy, energy which could kill a valkyr and could seriously give many other supernatural a run for their money if used to its full potential.

Artemis’ question about the contract made the Wayfinder purse her lips thoughtfully, she wasn’t completely sure but everything in her gut was telling her she needed to come to that eventuality and having a Volakiri now and that strong tie between their two factions has definitely helped to sway her towards it. With the peace contract signed, the Ailward couldn’t touch her people without putting themselves on the line against the other factions which they weren’t stupid enough to do. “No I’m not completely sure but I have to make a decision eventually” she spoke, she’d delayed it for 2 years but time and patience was running out and tensions were rising in the city. In response to Artemis’ question she shook her head “I plan on telling everyone individually, guess I thought I’d start with someone I trust to tell me directly if they have an issue” they’d already touched on this topic during their drunken evening so she had a pretty good idea of where Artemis stood.

The training session unfolded pretty much exactly how Ophelia expected it to, triggering a competitive spirit was a great way to see celestial energy in a good light. Most of the problems her people were having were mental, it was a fear of the power they wielded so by making it something fun and exciting, it put you in a good headspace for training. “Me neither” she responded to the other woman’s comments about giving up, 100 years of searching and she still never gave up on saving them all after all. It would have been so easy to fall into despair and quit but she refused to do that.

Still, she didn’t go easy on any of them either. This wasn’t just joking around and doing things for the hell of it, this could be the difference between life and death for a celestial and while there was a lighthearted tone behind it all. Ophelia was deadly serious when it came to making sure every star had the best training she could give them to ready them for whatever they may face.

“I’ve seen some of the worst the world has to offer, I definitely don’t scare easily” she admitted with an amused quirk of her brow. When Artemis returned the arrow towards her, she didn’t hesitate before she held up her hands in front of her, generating energy into the shape of a shield on her arm which the tip buried itself into and then was observed “Catching energy is all well and good but you need to start thinking with the expectation that this could actually hurt you” she warned, because, in a real fight, it wasn’t going to be arrows made out of celestial energy.

She watched the other woman as she readjusted herself to her abilities and used them to create arrows of her own, the focus on her expression clear as she tried to shape them into sharper tools, it wasn’t easy to do because it took acute focus to make the energy take sharp form but with a few tries it was looking pretty good. Still, they weren’t much bother for the shield Phe had made, though one did manage to fly past only narrowly avoiding hitting the Wayfinder before it hit the wall behind her. The raven-haired female did a double take before an impressed smile took over her expression.

The tornado was an interesting one, though it lacked traction, probably due to the fact the energy was still adjusting to being used again, out of curiosity, Phe reached out towards it and twirled her finger a little to encourage it to go faster and it spun pretty insanely, whirling all around the room before hitting the mirror and scattering off in smaller balls of light again “Really does have a mind of its own sometimes, doesn’t it?” she asked as she picked up a few of the golden and silvery mixed lights and rolled between her hands “And now we have a mix of both of our energies” which always made things stronger. She shaped it into a target which she moved against the wall and then nodded to Artemis.

Fear. It was a tricky thing really. Artemis had seen a lot of the world, and come across many a species during her existence. Some good, some evil. Everyone was different in their own right, and powerful in different aspects. She supposed it varied for everyone; some species feared each other, some were drawn to each other. Depending on the different perspective one held.  And Artemis was sure, that many species probably had different views on her kind, due to the power they harnessed within them. The Celestial knew the damage, that Celestial Energy could do; when used to it’s full potential. Over the centuries of her existence, she heard stories about what happened to enemies, that crossed Celestial’s. And what their full extent of powers done to them. It was scary and fascinating at the same time; that their light was so powerful. After all,she wasn’t that uneducated about her own abilities, despite not using them in so long.

Ophelia probably had more than enough time, to mold over the peace contract; and look through it for any loops and holes. After all, in 2 years-she was bound to find something. If anything was sneakily hidden. Artemis nodded her head, thoughtfully as she listened to the Wayfinder. They might have been drunk, when they first discussed the matter. But it didn’t change her opinion much. “I know you do Phe. If we want to stay here permanently, it has to be done.” Artemis said softly. “It’s not so much of a problem per say….just like I said last time. Be careful.” The Celestial could respect, that Ophelia wanted to tell everyone, individually. After all-everyone’s opinions differed. And if she broke it as a group...arguments and tensions might rise. It was slightly surprising that O came to her first. Artemis knew they were close, but she was also aware Ophelia went to Niram and William, with a lot of counsel issues for advice and such. And the two men, probably were better with political matters than she was. But it meant something to her, that Ophelia trusted her enough, to come to her first

It’s been a while, since Artemis felt relaxed and could actually enjoy herself; using her own abilities. Maybe Ophelia just knew her well enough, to know what would make her loosen up and embrace the light. It was making the Celestial, partially feel like herself again. As her light, had always been a big part of whom she was. Reconnecting with it, was something special.

Of course, compared to what was happening here. And what might happen in the real world’ was something entirely. Artemis knew the world was dangerous, unpredictable. And Ophelia, always had ingrained that knowledge into each and every one of them. And here was one of those moments, where Ophelia brought the reality streak back into play. “I don’t think, any of us would attempt to catch real arrows.” If they had good reflexes, and could catch them at an angle; that maybe wouldn’t hurt them. They possibly could. But it was risky and foolish, to play around with real arrows, that could cause damage. That would be like, another supernatural being attempting to catch their Celestial energy; and getting hurt. But to a worse extent.

Despite not using her energy like this in a while; Artemis was always a quick learner. And she had to admit, Phe’s shield was tough to get past. Which made it even more of an interesting challenge, for her competitive spirit. Seeing one fly past her. Artemis smiled, seeing the impressed expression on Ophelia’s face. At least, she could impress the Wayfinder, here and there with her abilities and re-adjusting to using it again.

Watching Ophelia with her mini tornado. Artemis let out a small laugh as it hit the wall, before exploding into smaller bits of light. “Yes, I suppose it does do wonders on it’s own, every once in a while.” It was quite something to watch. Not only did she herself affect it, but so did Phe. And that’s where the magic always happened. Watching the Raven haired woman, form a target out of their mixed energy. Artemis looked over to her. “Well this should be quite intriguing.” Artemis, clicked her fingers slightly. Almost warming up again slightly. Before she began to form more arrows, from her energy. This time, managing to get them slightly more sharper; than the last one that managed to whizz past Ophelia’s head.

Standing in perfect view of the target. Artemis squinted her eyes slightly in concentration. Before throwing her arrows. Her throws swift. One of the arrows, hitting just near enough bullseye in the middle. And one hit, spot on bullseye of the target. The Celestial had a good aim. Obviously Phe’s training from earlier, helping a bit with precision tactics and aim. But even then, Artemis had quite a good eye for aiming.

Phe nodded, she’d been talking her way around the agreement for a long time but at the end of the day, her not signing meant her saying her people wouldn’t follow the same rules as the rest of the factions and that was a dangerous message to send. She’d met with many of the ambassadors now and she believed most were well-intentioned people, of course, everyone had their own bias but generally, everyone was trying to create the best base for their lives in the city. “I intend to be, the agreement itself is pretty clear, it’s essentially self-management, factions are expected to keep the peace and not lay hands on others, if they break it, their whole faction is at the mercy of the council” no one was stupid enough to break that agreement “See my problem with a faction of people who want revenge?” she just had to hope their wish for peace and a normal outranked their hatred for the Ailwards. .

“I’m just saying out there, danger is going to be very real” she responded honestly and shrugged her shoulders, not even a peace agreement was going to protect them against everything, there were rogues who found their way into the city often, those who aren’t affiliated with any of the official factions and don’t care for the rules. Generally, it was an ambassador’s job to hunt down any of their own kind and ensure they don’t disrupt the peace in Evermore but it was rarely as easy as it sounded. She had heard about a rogue alpha who challenged the therianthrope only a few months earlier and with the number of oblivious humans in the city, things were definitely more difficult than most made it out to be. It made her thankful they were relatively small in number and she could sense the existence of her kind.

Ophelia was well-practiced in her ability, even when she lost her light she had tried to summon it back every day, she felt like she wasn’t fully herself without it, like a small part of who she was had been ripped to her. She hated feeling weak like that. Eventually, with much work and patience, it had come back, small sparks at first and then it had slowly become more fluid with her, kinda like building a relationship she supposed. Took a lot of effort and self-searching, it was also pretty exhausting. She noticed the way the light Artemis was wielding was starting to take more shape and form, responding to her will more and more with each try. It was evident that she had used it a lot in the past and much like muscle memory, things were coming back in pieces, never really getting lost at all. Ophelia was a little jealous about how easy it was for her to be honest, given her own experience.

The Wayfinder dropped to the floor semi elegantly and crossed her legs one over the other as she watched the other female throw the arrows, studying her positioning and the way she held herself for anything she could see showed weakness. It made the Wayfinder wonder if the other woman was perhaps running on adrenaline because it was pretty much unheard of for a celestial to be able to exert that much energy without weeks of practice. At least from what Phe had experienced of training other celestials though. Seeing the shots land she leaned back against the wall and gave a half smile “Seems like you didn’t need my help at all” she commented as she toyed with her energy between her hands, tossing a few balls from hand to hand to absentmindedly. She had no shame when it came to her glow and using it in front of people, she was what she was and she’d be damned if anyone tried to take that from her or tell her she had to hide it or pretend otherwise. “So do you think you’ll go back to using your energy?” she asked curiously, she knew people had their hesitations, she did for a while too.

Artemitra didn’t know much, about the peace treaty that was written up by the council. She was just aware of a few facts; that those signed it; were safe from other factions seeking out to harm them, if they thought they were outsiders and posed a threat. But she gathered, there was much more to it, than that. The piece of information, Ophelia had just given her, was quite interesting and a little daunting at the same time. If one of them...any of them, done something wrong. Their whole faction, was essentially fucked.  “Yikes...that’s….intense, to say the least.” The Celestial breathed out. She could honestly see why, Ophelia had postponed it for so long, given how the Celestial’s felt about the Ailwards. “If that’s one of the reasons why, she held off for so long signing off the peace agreement. I don’t blame you.” The brunette breathed out honestly.

But wether, the Celestial’s could keep the hatred buried; and not act on it. And keep the peace-there were forces outside of the factions that still posed a threat. And everyone knew that. After all, the world was as unpredictable as the leaders of their factions, always tried to drill into their minds. Remembering her conversation with the Nephilim Julian, a while back. About how one of his colleagues, ended up getting killed at work. It didn’t sound like the average accident.

It came as a bit of a surprise, for Artemis. Just how much energy she managed to get out of her. Wether, it was adrenaline-or just sheer will. It would no doubt, be quiet taxing; once the rush would die down. Artemis always had quite a good memory; proving to be a fast learner in the past.

For a moment, Artemis watched her own energy. Swirling in the middle of her palms. Slowly sucking the energy inwards again. As she was starting to feel the exhausting slowly kicking in. Glancing towards the wayfinder, with a soft smile. “You’ve helped a lot Phe. At least, I feel like you have.” Maybe her light, wasn’t as lost and suppressed as she first thought it was. But Ophelia certainly helped her find it again. Maybe quicker than anticipated. The Celestial nodded at her question. “I think so. I kind of missed using it.” Artemis admitted. It was one of the things, that made her whom she was. And Phe, certainly helped her realise; it was alright to use her energy again. With more practise, she would be even more in-tune with it; than she was during the first lesson. As everything was coming back to her. Which was a relief.

As the energy absorbed back into her. Leaving the Brunette, with a beautiful ethereal glow. The brunette flopped down on the floor, with a slight groan feeling her muscles aching. “Oh gosh, I forgot how tiring this could be.” Maybe because she pushed herself quite a bit also; she felt even more sore, and aching all over. Leaning back, Artemis ended up laying against the cold floor of the training room.

The raven-haired celestial pursed her lips, she was right, it was definitely an intense agreement, one she had talked over many different times with many different ambassadors to ensure she was getting a clear picture of what the consequences were. “It’s a steep price but also a very valuable reward” she spoke, she had been debating over this one for a while, it should be a no brainer, her people shouldn’t have any reason to want anything other than peace for themselves and yet sadly that wasn’t their reality and instead they had to live in fear and dare she say a state of vengefulness everyday. Some were worse than others of course, but it was clear many of them struggled to accept the reality of what happened and move past it.

But whether she liked it or not, she had to come to a decision sooner or later and with tensions rising in the city and blame beginning to spread around like wildfire, it definitely felt like she was beginning to run out of time when it came to making the final call. With their biggest allies, the valkyr being on the treaty and even the Niveis having signed a preliminary agreement, it definitely looked like the celestials were dragging their feet and that didn’t look good for their position in the city, nor their claims of peace.

Ophelia was generally happy with the progress of the faction and their acceptance of what they were, in the space of two years they had moved from cowering at the very thought of using celestial energy to now slowly learning to embrace and powerfully wield it. That wasn’t her trying to build an army or make an attack against the Ailward, she knew that was stupid and reckless but it was about giving her people peace of mind when it came to what they were and what they could so. Phe couldn’t stand to see stars so afraid of what they are that they refused to shine entirely. But she also understood why and has she been in their position, she probably would have felt the same.

The Wayfinder smiled gently over at Artemis, she supposed she liked feeling helpful or like she was doing something meaningful with the role she was given. While it wasn’t something she would really choose for herself, she thought she was doing pretty well at making the most out of a difficult life. She had a lot of friends in the faction and she respected each and every one of them. “It kinda feels like there’s a small but significant part of me missing when I don’t use it for a while” she admitted with a thoughtful expression “Though maybe that’s just my intuition telling me to stop being an idiot” she teased with a laugh as she leaned back, resting her elbows against the training room floor.

She turned her head and smiled, seeing the light which exuded from Artemis and shone around the room “Yeah that’ll only get easier with practice” she commented as she turned to the side a little, propping herself up with a smile “But it’s worth it, in my opinion, being in full control of your abilities, it feels like the first step to being in control of your life”.

It was a bit of a shock, to learn the extent of the rules set within the treaty among the factions. But she gathered, to ensure peace. Drastic measures like that, would have to be taken if someone stepped out of line. But she trusted Ophelia, would make the right choice, in terms of signing the documentation. Despite that, it still didn’t seem like the easiest choice to make. Artemis would be debating as,well, if she had been in Ophelia’s shoes. Especially the circumstances/things the Celestials were going through. “What does Atticus say about the matter?” Artemitra asked. Knowing the Wayfinder and Guardian were usually close. She gathered, if another Celestial knew, than he would be the one. Maybe, Ophelia had spoken to him more about the contract, just to get his advice/guidance on the issue.

Artemis had grown to love the city. And she didn’t want to leave, or for their colony to suffer; just because they were lagging behind on the peace agreement; whilst everyone else had already signed it.

No matter how hard of a job, it was. To be the leader of a entire faction, looking out for all their well-being and helping them, teaching them to embrace their true nature again. Ophelia seemed to be doing much better, than she believed. Unless, it was just the very close bond Artemis had with the Wayfinder; she certainly believed that Ophelia was doing just that. They were slowly growing stronger, as they were finding ways to accept themselves once more. And that was a good thing. It took a little bit of a nudge, in the right direction from Phe, to do so.

Laying on the cold floor. Her throbbing muscles, feeling slightly cooled down from the coldness beneath her. Turning her head, to look at the Wayfinder, she smiled softly. “It’s not that stupid.” Artemis said honestly. “It’s part of what we are.” If they didn’t shine, and embrace it. Would they still truly be stars? What was a star, without it’s light? And whilst some of them experienced it, losing their light for a while. They came out stronger for it. Ophelia was one example of that. But she could see why, they’d feel lost...and not themselves, without their light/shine.

Artemis tried to pull herself up from the floor. Otherwise, she might be tempted to doze off. “I am sure it will.” She nodded in acknowledgement. “It’s been a while, so it’s easy to forget how taxing it can be.” But she certainly had fun, with their competitive game and little sparring session. With all the madness, and curve balls life seemed to throw at everyone; Artemis included. She had to agree, gaining some control over her life, would be a good start. “I can’t help, but agree. I need some control over my life.” Artemis nodded. Even though she was doing well, at keeping herself together. Some parts were still lacking. So this was another good step, in the right direction for her.

“I think, I need a drink...or food...or something.” Artemis said with a laugh. Or chances would be, she’d be tempted to go for a nap. But it was too early, in the day for a nap. And she didn’t want to sleep, for the rest of the day.

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