somewhere in time, druig

05. A Union of Love

Artemis burst out laughing, tugging on Sersi's arm. "Come on! Or she'll tell them before you even get the chance!"

Sersi sighed but allowed Artemis to pull her towards the exit of the Domo and sure enough, Ajak, Sprite, Gilgamesh, and Thena were all out there, talking amongst themselves. Ajak beamed at them as they approached. "Sersi! Artemis! Come join us!" She beckoned them. She opened her arms and when the two were close enough, Ajak pulled them into a tight hug. "Where have you girls been?"

"Looking for you," Sersi laughed as she pulled back. 

"Oh?" Ajak tilted her head. "What is it?" There was a hint of nervousness in her voice that caused Artemis's heart to tug. It was part of being an Eternal, constantly ready for the pain they had to endure. Luckily for Ajak, there was no pain. 

Sersi took a deep breath. "Ikaris and I...are getting married."

There was a second of stunned silence before a roar of cheers erupted from Ajak and Gilgamesh. The two of them scooped Sersi up in their arms. Chuckling, Artemis moved to Thena and Sprite's side. She looked up at the tall woman and tilted her head. "You seem...indifferent." 

Thena hummed. "I am. Marriage seems...superficial. We have all of eternity to love each other. Gilgamesh and I aren't putting on a show of it."

"And that's your choice," Artemis pointed out. "Ikaris and Sersi made theirs." She smiled as she spoke, slightly giddy at the fact that Thena admitted her relationship with Gilgamesh. 

"I suppose," Thena hummed once more before shaking her head softly. "I'm going to patrol for Deviants. Care to join me?" 

"I appreciate the offer but I think I'll stay here," Artemis smiled. Thena bowed silently and walked off, leaving Artemis and Sprite alone to watch Ajak and Gilgamesh celebrate. "Isn't it exciting?" She looked down at the shortest Eternal.

"Yeah...exciting," Sprite crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

It was hard for Artemis not to pick up on her sarcasm. She turned fully and tilted her head, mimicking Sprite's crossed arms. "What was that?" 

"What?" Sprite seemed to snap out of it as she looked up at Artemis with wide eyes. 

Artemis leaned down. "You know. That tone. Are you not happy for them?" 

Sprite sighed, dropping her head and sagging her shoulders. "I don't know...I get where Thena is coming from. Marriage seems kinda stupid." 

The pain in her voice didn't go unnoticed. Artemis knelt down, placing a soft hand on her shoulder. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" 

Sprite didn't look her in the eye. "I know..." She mumbled. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Artemis asked softly. Sprite shook her head, lifting her gaze back to Artemis. There were tears forming in her eyes. "Oh, Sprite..." She pulled the girl into her arms and squeezed tightly.

 When she let go, Sprite was wiping her face rapidly. "I-I have to go!" Sprite muttered before running back to the Domo, just nearly missing Kingo, Phastos, and Druig as they stepped out. 

Artemis stood back up, a deep frown etched onto her face as she watched Sprite disappear into the Domo. "Is everything alright, my lady?" Druig's voice pulled her back to reality. 

Her eyes focused on him and she sighed. "I'm not sure. Sprite is acting...weird." 

She heard Kingo laugh. "So you mean she's totally normal?" 

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Kingo, I'm being serious. Something's wrong with her." 

Druig reached out and took her hand, pulling Artemis to his side. He leaned down, kissing the top of her head. "Whatever it is, Sprite will tell you. Eventually."