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[real_archer]

It's Artemis. Leave a message.

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[performance]

[ It's a few minutes before he replies: ]

I fell.

[real_archer]

So you just, like, tripped and fell and totally shattered your leg.

[She has a terrible feeling that's not it, but she's gonna hope it is anyway.]

[performance]

No! I fell from a third story roof. For about fifteen different reasons that all boil down to "I was stupid."

Some Boy Wonder, I know.

[real_archer]

[Forget "some Boy Wonder." Artemis is stuck on "fell from a third story roof."

Her hands are shaking too much to type a reply. Six years ago, Paula Nguyen-Crock fell from not much higher, and she'll never walk again. Three stories between Artemis and a mom who didn't have to go to jail, who didn't leave her alone with her dad for six years, who didn't come home in a wheelchair.

Robin survived. Robin will walk again. And that's good--Robin is her friend and she never wants anything bad to happen to him, but... Fuck, he'll do backflips again. He'll do backflips and Batman will still be his mentor and Artemis's mom will never walk again because one night, Batman was faster and the jump was too high.

Is it karma or does the universe actually hate her family?

It's much longer than a few minutes before Artemis is able to marshall the physical coordination to reply.]

next time call an ambulance

[performance]

... are you mad?

[real_archer]

why would i be mad? you just fell off a roof and didn't tell anybody, no big deal. i mean, it's not like you could have broken your back or anything.

[Or that she moved him with a potential spine injury. Guilt is as much at play here as fear and childhood PTSD. If she'd known--if she'd even thought it could have been a fall, she would have behaved differently. If worked out in the end, but it was an unnecessary risk.]

[performance]

It was embarrassing! And I wouldn't have done anything if I thought it was that risky.

[ That isn't entirely true. But what's she so upset about? Does she have to lecture him? Isn't this bad enough? ]

[real_archer]

whatever. glad you're ok.

[And she is glad, too. She knows all too well how badly things could have turned out.]

[performance]

[ Robin takes another several minutes before he replies again. He can't figure out why she's angry, and then it hits him all at once.

He's such a jerk. ]

... you're right. About everything. I'm sorry.

[real_archer]

[Artemis has no idea why he's backing down]

don't be sorry. you got lucky.

[performance]

I know. I didn't think about it like that. That's all.

[real_archer]

[Of course he didn't, why would he? They do dangerous things every day and he has no reason to think about a former villain named Huntress. He broke his leg and that was bad enough.]

So when do I get to sign your cast?

[performance]

[ It's times like this he wishes he could say something. But how can he apologize for something he isn't even supposed to know about? ]

Anytime. Should I come over? Or meet you somewhere? I'm going stir-crazy here.

[real_archer]

you can come over. I still owe you tea.

[performance]

I'll hobble right over.

[real_archer]

[Right now? Okay, she can pull it together. He's on crutches, so it's still gonna take him like at least ten minutes, right? She's got time to stop trembling like an idiot.]

Don't hurt yourself

[It's meant to be snarky but... also kind of true?]

[performance]

I think I can manage that.

text-->action

[real_archer]

[Artemis logs off her comm and gets up to wash her face. The cold water helps somewhat.

She really needs to stop freaking out about this. Robin is fine--okay, he has a broken leg, but that will heal and he will be fine. It's not like injuries are anything new to either of them--or any of the team, for that matter, though some of them recover more easily than others. This is just as much part of the life she chose as it was part of the life her mom chose.

And Artemis was totally fine with that until her friends started falling.

She goes down to the kitchen and puts the kettle on in preparation for Robin to show up.]

[performance]

[ Robin shows up in closer to 20 minutes than 10. It's muggy out, and it's slow going up and down the stairs with crutches no matter what. That, and he figures maybe she needs some time to be upset or whatever. So he knocks, and waits, and smiles when she opens the door, and is honestly not sure how apologetic he ought to look. It's awkward all around. ]

Hey.

[real_archer]

Hey.

[Artemis doesn't quite smile but she does jab a thumb towards the kitchen.]

Water's boiling.

[performance]

Awesome.

[ He heads inside, following her to the kitchen. ]

Hope I didn't keep you waiting. These things are annoying.

[real_archer]

No problem. Crutches are the worst.

[She doesn't mind the delay, though. It gave her a chance to prepare herself, even if she did have to boil the water twice. She even got him an extra chair to put his leg up.

She gets out a couple of mugs. One of them is a tacky monstrosity with A-temi- faintly written on it in Kid Flash's scrawl--turns out even sharpie has trouble staying permanent in the dishwasher. The other is boring and white and came with the house.]

Green or black?

[performance]

[ Seeing the mug makes a twinge of something go off in his chest. Guilt, jealousy — he doesn't know, but he doesn't want it. So Robin tries not to look or let it show, instead glancing around and marveling at how this place is almost exactly the same as his own — if his wasn't maintained by a neurotic clean freak with a bat. ]

You know, I've never tried green. Let's go with that.

[real_archer]

Never had green tea?

[That gets a raised eyebrow, but Artemis digs out a box of green tea from her shelf in the kitchen and puts a teabag in each mug before pouring the water.

Her mom makes it the real way--in a nice pot with loose leaf tea. Artemis doesn't have the patience or the spare cash for that kind of thing, though.

She pushes the white mug over to Robin and takes the Six Flag mug for herself.]

You can have sugar if you want, but I will judge you.

[performance]

That's the only way I can drink the other stuff. Real bad sweet tooth.

[ Robin laughs a little, rubbing the back of his neck. ]

But, as I want to remain judgment free, I'll have it your way.