[This is a girl who has washed her hair once since she got out of the arena. With hair that thick, there are probably still bits of plant stuck in there from their seaweed fight. She is in no place to judge.]
It isn't.
[She says it with sudden viciousness. She's been remarkably calm throughout telling Wally about her family, but this brings out her anger. Helpless, pointless anger.]
Why not? [Half of Wally wants to just shove everything that happened behind them, forget they were ever there. He'd seen the news reports; it was just a tragic accident with a volcano. Nothing about what actually went down in there.] You think we should hunt down the people responsible? [That...sounded way more on board than he thought he was.
But he is.] Since the military's not gonna tell us crap about it, you think we should do it ourselves?
Rob said something about them following signals to find us. Maybe they found something else out while they were searching. [Wally clasps his hands together and leans forward. He's not sure if they should dig into this without more help, but a lack of backup has never stopped them before.]
You saw what the press said about what happened, right? [And this almost gets Wally as heated as he gets when he thinks about the assholes that grabbed them and forced everyone to fight in the arenas.]
What were they going to say, though? You've seen the way people freak out about imports and anything that happens to them. They can't just say "sorry, we got all these kids kidnapped and tortured."
They could at least just say something happened and they're looking into it instead of lying- Some poor mom is probably sitting at home, thinking her kid is dead because they fell into a volcano. It's not right!
You know you sound like some kind of rotten politician when you say that, right? [Wally folds his arms tight and leans back against her wall, glaring at her.] Lying to the public is sleazy. Sure, maybe they really were just trying to 'discourage panic' or whatever BS reason they give us, but using the news to lie is a symptom of a bigger disease. They don't tell us anything.
Are you even listening to me? I know it's not right. But it's what happened and yelling at me about it when the people who hurt those kids are still out there--
[She stops abruptly, his last statement sinking in.]
[Wally shrugs stiffly.] I only registered because I thought if I didn't, they'd take the job and house. But I have an interview at Starktech, and even if I can't stay in military housing I'm still a minor, so the state will have to put me up somewhere.
[Artemis rubs her wrist with the tattoo unconsciously. She thought about un-registering after the paintball games, but then she did the math and figured she couldn't afford it. Besides, she wanted to help Robin with reconnaissance and that was easier with a Registered tattoo.]
Yeah, you'll probably be fine.
[It comes out sounding clipped. Why is she upset about this? Artemis hates her Registered tattoo, but it's served a purpose. Except now keeping it seems like being complicit in what happened to them.]
Whatever. It's fine. I'm not doing it because I agree with them or anything. It's the job.
[Both the literal job at the sports store and the well defined job of being a teenager on a covert ops team with the vague idea that if she lays low long enough eventually they'll find something important.
...sure. [Wally knows that Robin's going to stay registered for the access to information, but he doesn't know what Superboy is planning on doing and it's pretty clear what Artemis is going to do.
Maybe...he should talk to Power Girl about it first.
Wally pushes himself up to his feet.] Well. I guess I should let you get back to sleep.
action
It isn't.
[She says it with sudden viciousness. She's been remarkably calm throughout telling Wally about her family, but this brings out her anger. Helpless, pointless anger.]
action
But he is.] Since the military's not gonna tell us crap about it, you think we should do it ourselves?
action
And now that he knows who she is, there's no reason for her to hold back either.]
We have a team.
[At least, Artemis hopes she still has a team. She'll have to tell Superboy now, she realizes. Maybe she should have told them all sooner.
But the important thing is that she's not saying no.]
action
action
Somebody's got to stop them. It might as well be us.
[Even if she doesn't feel like doing much more than staying in bed right now.]
action
action
[It bothers her, but clearly not as much as him.]
What were they going to say, though? You've seen the way people freak out about imports and anything that happens to them. They can't just say "sorry, we got all these kids kidnapped and tortured."
action
action
[She has no idea why she's shouting, especially when she mostly agrees with him. She can't focus on that now, though. It won't help anything.]
action
[Time to switch gears.]
I'm gonna un-register.
action
Are you even listening to me? I know it's not right. But it's what happened and yelling at me about it when the people who hurt those kids are still out there--
[She stops abruptly, his last statement sinking in.]
... Are you serious?
action
action
Yeah, you'll probably be fine.
[It comes out sounding clipped. Why is she upset about this? Artemis hates her Registered tattoo, but it's served a purpose. Except now keeping it seems like being complicit in what happened to them.]
action
action
[Both the literal job at the sports store and the well defined job of being a teenager on a covert ops team with the vague idea that if she lays low long enough eventually they'll find something important.
Not that this has paid off in any real way yet.]
action
Maybe...he should talk to Power Girl about it first.
Wally pushes himself up to his feet.] Well. I guess I should let you get back to sleep.