InsaneJournal

Pull my strings; watch me move
Who: Artemis Young and Ren Valin
Where: Dog Ink and then Sunny's Diner
When: June 29th / 2009 - Afternoon

Artemis had been busy with work over the past few days and the shear amount of things that needed to be fixed around the shop had her going in early and staying late. For some reason at the air port, when it rained, it poured. There had been several safety concerns from another airline that she didn't work for last month and now, with the investigations done, every airline was stepping up to check their own planes. This meant everything that normally could get by in good condition, had to be in tip top condition. Artemis knew she was good at what she did, but the people she worked with, were constantly checking her work because Artemis was just known as the flighty one. It wasn't her fault she was like that. Air just made her that way. Or at least, that's what she told her self a lot of the time.

So when it came to making sure that her knew 'friend' Ren had been eating, she hadn't been doing that great of a job. The last day off she'd had was when she'd gone ice skating with Andrew, and she'd spent the whole day with him, not making time to drop in on her favorite(?) lush and drunk. She thought perhaps today was a good day to go by and make sure he was eating a decent breakfast, but from staying so late the night before, Artemis slept right on through breakfast. She had taken great pains to wake herself up and drag her ass to the shower. She hoped that a blast of cold water would give her that extra little push.

She got dressed quick enough and glanced at the clock. It'd be about lunch time once she got there. Instead of climbing on to her bike like she normally would do by going in to town, she slipped out in to her backyard, the trees covering her well enough, and she closed her eyes. Becoming invisible and lifting herself up, traveling over the town towards the Tattoo shop, looking for a more secluded place to land. She managed to do so behind a group of cars at a nearby grocery store and walked on like she'd been there the whole time, making herself visible once she was sure nobody was looking. Easy peasy.

Passing by the Starbucks though, she saw somebody drinking a rather yummy looking caramel frappuccino and was completely distracted, heading inside and purchasing herself one and continued on to her destination. She was sipping on the drink when she entered the small shop with a bounce in her step, looking about for Ren.


Sitting back in his desk chair, his feet propped up and folded one over the other, Ren let out a mighty roar of a yawn and shook his head afterward, eyes squinting shut. When they opened again there was a look of minor shock there, sprawled over his scruffy and exhaustion-laden face. He didn't know what to say right away, and so he just stared a moment longer. He hadn't honestly expected to see Artemis again, though he wasn't sure why. It'd only been a few days, sure, but women didn't make a habit of really coming back to him over and over again. It was in part one of the reasons he found Imogene so fascinating.

Finally, Ren came to his senses and dropped his feet to the ground, his boots hitting the floor as he stood. "Well," he started, head cocked so that he was looking out of the corner of his eyes. "I didn't imagine I'd be seeing you today, of all people. You certainly aren't my two o'clock, unless you underwent severe re-constructive surgery." Ren laughed briefly coming out from around the desk to see her better. "I don't think so, though. What's up? Couldn't stay away?" He raised his brow high on his forehead, the look positively lecherous. He couldn't help himself. It'd been a good handful of days since he'd been laid last, after all, and Artemis was asking for it by showing up over and over again.

Ren imagined Imogene was likely napping upstairs again, which was fine considering his company. He could use a bit of quiet -- aside from Artemis, of course.


Artemis couldn't help grinning when Ren actually looked surprised to see her. Honestly, it wasn't as if she hadn't showed up after she'd left him for dead...or you know...to sleep off all the alcohol he'd consumed, but to Artemis it might as well have been for dead. Her and her darn imagination. She grinned more when he said she didn't look like his two o'clock. "Is your two o'clock some huge burly biker dude? Because I have all the leather stuff and the bike to fit the bill if you want me to go home and get them." She teased him and sipped at her drink. "But we had enough 'riding' jokes the first time we met, so I'll refrain." She shook her head at him.

"Of course I couldn't keep away. A irresponsible alkie like you needs to be checked in on every so often." She leaned against the counter, completely relaxed. She could see him looking. He was always looking. She'd sort of gotten used to it while in his presence. At least it didn't bother her so much. "And I haven't been in, in a few days. I figured that you might have missed me." She said, only a touch of hope in her voice. She wasn't actually feeling all that hopeful, but it had just come out that way. She didn't think Ren missed much. Except for maybe a bottle and his bed, possibly the toliet... maybe he was a bad aim...

He could say that he hadn't missed her, and she wouldn't be devastated. She was smarter then that after all. "Besides I figured I'd come by to see if you were hungry. I didn't bring anything with me this time though except for the coffee so we're going to have to go out and get something." she warned him, sipping her drink again.


Ren snorted at the joke about the biker dude, shrugging and leaning against the opposite end of the counter. "Something like that," he told her, his tone easier than he'd meant for it to be. "You know, darker skin, lots of muscles... heavy duty. Not like you." He reached with one hand to point at her, just to make his point sink home. "That's okay, we can hold off on the riding jokes for now, so long as we get to them eventually. They're my favorite."


Artemis was lucky considering how Ren's last several days had gone, the appearance of Imogene having turned his life quite literally upside-down. He should have been in a foul mood, the very sight of someone he didn't need around driving him up the wall -- though instead, Ren was as sweet as it got for him, easy going and almost as though he'd been hoping she would return. He seemed almost relaxed, though no less scruffy or ridiculous looking than usual. "I ain't an alcoholic, if that's what you're saying," he told her, watching her as he closed his sketchbook, leaving the pencil in it to hold his place. He'd been working out some minor details for Ammo's tattoo, mostly for his own entertainment. It'd been a slow morning, and he was alone in the shop for a while.

"I am always hungry, Art," he said, knowing very well that she didn't appreciate nicknames. Ren couldn't help himself though, and as he grabbed for his keys and his wallet, he watched her out of the corner of his eye. "There's a diner just down the road if you wanna enable me in my habitual ways... or there's a sub place just beyond that, around the corner. That's all within walking distance, anyway."


Artemis bounced on the balls of her feet a little. She was still a little high from flying here, it always gave her a great sort of feeling when she did it. Who needed drugs when you could fly around on your own without the help of anything but air. Plus Artemis was so against smoking it was ridiculous at times. Her lungs just hated it after all. She'd have to get high some other way which of course she'd never do. "Mmmhm. Sure Ren." She said shaking her head. Though she didn't really want to get in to it with him. If he said he wasn't, she knew he wasn't going to admit that he actually sort of was, at least in Artemis's mind. Then she'd drank herself in to a giddy place before, but she always at least made it in to her bed. Or whatever bed around was handy.

She didn't flinch at the nickname, but walked across the shop lazily and reached up to fix his collar that didn't really need to be adjusted and then brushed off an imaginary thread from his shoulder. "It's Artemis, sweetie." She smiled brightly and offered a sip of her drink. "I can do a greasy spoon if that's what you're used to. Don't want to shock the system with something too healthy for you." Artemis chuckled.


Ren -- for a very brief moment -- considered taking offense to the tone in Artemis's voice, the way she was very simply implying that she didn't quite believe him. He wasn't an alcoholic in his eyes, and certainly not when compared to more than half of his family. It didn't occur to him that he was more than likely a mild alcoholic himself, considering he still made a living and remembered to shit in the toilet and feed himself from time to time. All of this went through his head in a brief flash, and rather than picking a fight, Ren let it go.

He watched as she approached him, a self-satisfied smirk sat on his face as she reached for his collar. She couldn't keep her hands off of him, and that pleased him to no end -- even if he was mostly joking. "Alright, Artemis-sweetie," he teased, clearly getting a kick out of his own level of humor. Ren laughed along with her and took the offered sip, leaning in to grab the straw with his lips. He took a drink and exhaled dramatically, raising a hand to gesture to the door. "This way then, Arty-sweetie. Let's get some greasy sandwiches and over-cooked french fries." Every last one of Ren's teeth showed as he laughed, his smile overwhelming his face for the moment. He deserved a fucking break from his life, even if it was only for an hour -- and with someone he doubted would be an easy lay. Ever.


She almost snorted when he called her 'Artemis-Sweetie'. It made her grin and silently shake her head. She had no idea why she at all cared about the man who cared so little about his body and being by drinking and smoking it silly. It was possibly the pull of wanting to make sure that he was okay, but she wasn't even sure she could justify her attention because she was merely concerned by him. Of course he took it all like she couldn't keep her greedy little paws off of him though, but that was about expected at this point with him. She watched him take a sip of her drink though, amused, only watching for a moment before pulling her eyes from his lips. No, no, no.

"Tell you what, I'll let you call me by a nickname, so long as it's Sweetie." she grinned, pretty sure he wouldn't be caught dead wandering around calling anybody 'sweetie'. "Mmm Greasy, sounds about right." She laughed, returning the large smile. She kind of liked it actually. It was nice, rather then that grin that looked so much like he was being skeezy. "Off we go then." She turned and caught his hand giving him a tug towards the front door, letting it go once he started to walk. "So how have you been since I saw you last? Get yourself a girl to toy with?" She opened the door for him.


Ren, totally oblivious to the way Artemis had watched him moments ago, was fairly pleasant about being guided toward the door by his hand. "Well, Sweetie," Ren started, smirking as they left the shop together, "I've had an eventful couple of days I guess." He shrugged, stopping to lock the door behind him and then jammed his keys into his pocket. "You probably haven't met her, but I hired this girl... she's kind of a weirdo. Anyway, she's kinda staying with me right now 'cause I figured out she's homeless, and then she got herself kicked around or something. I don't know. Fuck if I care, but... she needed a place to crash, and since I can't have her missing work I said she could use my couch."

As they walked, Ren pulled his cigarettes and lighter out, intending on enjoying a smoke as they played catch-up. "So, she ain't exactly a play-toy or anything. She's just, y'know, living on my couch. Eating my 'dogs. The good stuff about having a woman around." He smirked, glancing to her as he elbowed her in the side.


She laughed when he called her sweetie. She couldn't help it. Artemis was pretty sure that wouldn't be sticking for long. She listened to his story though about hiring a girl and having her staying on his couch. And then about how she'd gotten beaten up. Artemis frowned a little bit hitching her thumb around her purse strap and sipping at her coffee drink a bit, chewing the straw while he talked. "So you're not really playing domestic bliss then." She said thinking about how Ren, if he liked it or not, was a good guy sometimes. "That was sweet of you to let her sleep on your couch, giving her a home and food." She said giving him a side glance as they walked. She hadn't expected that out of him. It was nice when somebody managed to surprise her. Then again she hadn't given Ren much in the way of doubt before this.

She made a face when he elbowed her and mock rubbed her side. "Goodness you're bony. You need to eat more. And good that you're not sleeping with her. You shouldn't shit where you eat." She warned, having no idea that Ren had already been there and done that with one of his other employees. All she knew was he wasn't getting in to her panties easily. Or ever. He'd have to show her a lot more then just a 'good time' like most of his partners had succumbed to.

She almost didn't say anything when he pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lighter, only because he was being so nice to the girl on his couch... but Artemis was Artemis and she wasn't the type to stay silent either. "Reeeeen." She drew out his name, a mock pout forming on her face, frowning a touch and putting her hand over his that was holding the pack. She shook her head at him. "Please?"


Ren shrugged as they walked, squinting down the street as Artemis commented on his living situation with Imogene. "No, not exactly bliss," he said, giving her a glance just after she'd sent one his way. "And... it's not permanent. I mean, sure she's homeless, but... my place ain't really big enough for someone else if they're not gonna be sleepin' in my bed." He didn't know what he was going to do when it came time for Imogene to move out, though. Could he really send her back out onto the streets? Just like that?

Choosing to be wise just this once, Ren refrained from informing Artemis that he'd already broken that rule with Remy. Artemis didn't really need to know everything about his sex life, not just yet. He let out a sigh when her hand touched his, glancing down at it for a moment. "Really?" he asked, his tone incredulous. "You're not gonna let me smoke?" Ren took in a deep breath as he rolled his head back on his shoulders, his movements exaggerated as he pocketed the cigarettes and lighter. "Fine. But I'm only relenting because you're so sweet," he lied.


"No, I understand." Artemis did. The girl would eventually have to go on her own way, and hopefully for the better, because Ren had helped her. Artemis hated herself for a minute for thinking that Ren really was just a sweet guy. She knew better, but couldn't help but still think it. "And your sacrificing your privacy to have her staying there with you." That was something she hadn't expected as well. He wouldn't be able to have female callers over if he wanted to be polite, though Artemis wasn't sure that Ren did polite after all. She looked up at him a little as they crossed the street. "It's admirable of you, Ren." She nodded, her face thoughtful, a million things running through her head, and then looking away. Maybe she'd been too quick to judge Ren. Maybe instead of being his mother hen, she should try and be his friend.

She almost told him when he asked her if she was serious, that she wasn't...but then he was actually putting them away. It surprised Artemis. She made a small face at him for saying he was doing it because she was 'sweet'. It turned in to a smile though afterwards. "Thank you." She said retrieving her hand and letting it fall to her side. She had finished with her drink though, and tossed it in to the bin as they passed by it. "I'm allergic. It's just nicer to not breathe in the smoke if I can help it." It was only a little white lie, she didn't like the smoke and neither did Air, so it helped to have as few pollutants as possible.

When they got to the diner a short time later, she opened the door and let Ren through first before heading in herself. "Got a special spot you sit?" Artemis said looking around. It'd been a while since she'd been inside.


Ren listened to Artemis as she talked, to the words and the seeming approval -- but mostly he was hearing the tone, the thoughts in her head almost loud enough to be read in her eyes. It was interesting to know that this is what it took to get somebody's respect, this concept of helping others out. He didn't know that he would have been able to turn Imogene away, though. Naked and injured, she had been given no other choice but to come to him. He had given her clothes, food, painkillers and even a place to sleep. As they walked, Ren scratched the back of his neck under his hair, wondering where all of this was going.

"I just... I did what I had to," he answered, as though it weren't a big deal. He watched her as she pulled her hand back, brief sexual thoughts passing through his mind. He couldn't help himself; it'd been forever since he'd been laid last. "Allergies to smoke," he commented, scoffing a little, a smirk on his face. "That's a good one. Really, you can just say you hate it." He had his reasons for not lighting up, and most of them had to do with the fact that Artemis was a very pretty lady -- and one that had sorta snuck into his life somehow.

"Well," he said as they entered, "I normally sit over there... in the smoking section. But uh, considering your allergies, we might want to try another booth." He gestured to the wall where there were "no smoking" signs and led her toward it.



"Hey, not everybody would." She pointed out. Which was true. There were people in this world that wouldn't help out somebody, a fellow man, even if that person was in dire need of it. It just added points to his personality was all. At least, in her mind it did. "Okay fine, you're right, I don't like the smoke." She admit, though no more then that. She wasn't in the closet so much that she didn't need to be telling him everything about her. For now, it was easier to stay quiet about it. Though Air was put in a snit that she wasn't so forthcoming about Him. "I won't lecture you on it, I'm pretty sure I gave you an earful the first night I met you about it." She didn't feel like lecturing either, she was going to try and stop acting like a mother.

She looked over to where he was pointing and she nodded, glad that he was willing to sit in an area that wasn't filled with people killing their lungs. They were already killing their heart by eating here in the first place, you had to go around and give your poor body a double whammy? So not for Artemis. She rolled her eyes though at the crack about her allergies. "Why Ren, proving yourself to be a Gentleman all over the place today." She quipped at him. She could tease just as much if she wanted to.

She motioned to the waitress where they were going to sit and headed over to a circle booth in the corner, sliding in and around the corner of the booth so he could choose either side of her to sit on. She didn't mind much but she always liked sitting in the middle between the two entrances. The waitress waited for Ren to slide in and then placed the menu's down in front of them before heading off, giving Ren a longer glance. Artemis noticed and hid an amused smile, "I think our waitress likes the look of you."


Ren followed Artemis to the booth with a say, rolling his eyes and making no qualms about it. "I'm no gentleman, Arty. You'd be wise to remember that." The tone was light despite the words, and as Ren settled he brushed his hair from his eyes as casually as though they were the best of friends. "I'm just, uhh... having mercy on you today." He grinned and moved to grab for the menu, picking it up to glance it over. He already knew what he wanted, but it never hurt to look -- you know, just in case something else grabbed his attention.

"I know she likes the look of me," he told Artemis. "She likes the feel of me, too." Ren shot her a knowing look, not at all afraid to let his sleazy side hang out for a moment. "That's Barb, and she's been working here for just about as long as I've been coming here." He scooted in closer to Artemis and put an arm over the seat behind her. "I don't really care much for her, though. She stole a pack of cigarettes from me once."


She shook her head a bit when he said to remember that he wasn't a gentleman. She was on the line there, trying to figure out if he really was one or not. She was having a hard time deciding, though the conversation to come was likely a indicator as to which way she'd be swayed. She picked up the menu too. She was pretty sure she wanted breakfast for lunch. That was the good thing about diners, they offered breakfast any time of the day. Artemis liked this very much. "Well thank you for the mercy. You're being too kind. I promise not to get used to it though." She said managing not to pull a face.

Artemis tried not to make a face when he said that she liked the feel of Ren too. What more did she expect though? She'd met him in a bar when he was drunk as a skunk and trying his best to get his jollies off on her. Very clearly not the gentleman. She let him slide closer without saying anything and let him put his arm around the back of their booth. "And what? You don't much like the feel of her?" She quipped back at him, continuing to look down at the menu not daring to sneak a glance up at him. "Must be an interesting time." She said, her voice nonchalant. If he wanted to make her jealous, it wasn't working. "You don't care much for her because you don't care much for her, or you don't care for her because she stole your cigarettes?" She asked, actually curious. Her eyes went back over to the waitress to look her over...she couldn't help it she was a woman after all. "She's pretty." Artemis admit. She had no issue in commenting on it. Besides the fact that she didn't mind looking at girls herself, Artemis also had no issue admitting when she thought a woman was prettier then herself.


Ren licked his lips, brow furrowed slightly as he glanced back to the waitress. "I don't really like her because I don't like her. She's needy and weird and stole cigarettes from me. Those are good enough reasons to judge somebody." He shrugged, figuring it had made enough sense to him -- and it damn well make sense to her. A woman that was stupid enough to steal from him wasn't worth his time. "And anyway, we've only slept together once. Once or twice. I don't really remember that night very well..." Ren picked up his menu, looking it over just for the hell of it. He knew what he wanted but that didn't mean he couldn't pretend he wasn't sure. He was being bold and perhaps over the top, but he couldn't really help himself. It was his default nature, and it was easy to lose himself to it when in a situation he wasn't sure about. "You're prettier," he added on, taking his arm back to reach for the water that had been set down a few moments ago.


"Stealing is somewhat unsavory. But then so is smoking in general. Maybe she did you a favor and you didn't even realize it." Artemis said, her voice though, half teasing. She would never, ever steal. Artemis was too honest for that and had issues lying most of the time. But that was mostly because she usually started to babble away and everything eventually came out anyway. "But understood." She said nodding her head. Tipping her head to the side when Ren complimented Artemis, she kept her eyes on the waitress moving about. "I'd hook up with her." She said offhandedly. She wasn't bragging. Or trying to be edgy. It was just the truth. Artemis had never been decisive enough to ever say she was either one or the other. She assumed she'd fall for, whoever she'd fall for. Gender wasn't an issue.

"Flirt. I'm already paying for lunch, as it was me who invited you out. You don't need to try and flatter me in to it." Artemis said, rolling her eyes and looking at Ren when he drank. She tossed down her menu and the waitress came back. Artemis ordered herself a iced tea and a breakfast that included pancakes (one of her favorites) and scrambled eggs. She let Ren order and then handed the menus back to the woman, taking a sip of her water too.


"Me too," Ren said, shrugging as though it were no big deal. He set his glass down and yawned, turning away to finish it, relaxing back into the booth. "I'd hook up with her, I mean. But I already have. She was okay. Not the best ever." Not like he imagined Artemis might be... and hey, a man could dream.

When the waitress returned, Ren ordered himself a turkey reuben and cheese fries; basically the best thing this place had as far as he was concerned. "I'm not trying to flatter you," he said, rolling his eyes after the waitress had left them. "If I were trying to flatter you'd I'd have gone on to tell you that your hair is amazing and feels like silk and your voice is like canaries or something. I don't know what the norm is, so tell me if I'm going over the edge here..."


"That's so sad when somebody looks like they might be decent enough and suddenly you find out they aren't." She said ruefully. That biker guy she'd caused the storm for so her mother wouldn't come down that weekend, he'd been one of those cases. Looked so good but when it came right down to it, he was a one pump chump. Last time she'd picked up a biker at a bar. Then again she had gone quite a while without anything happening. She couldn't be too choosey, could she? Maybe. She was pretty sure that the only action that was happening in her house (her roommates included) were silicone friends, or their own happy helping hands... They needed a night out together.

What he ordered sounded amazing, and she'd wished she'd ordered the same thing. Maybe he'd let her steal a cheese fry. "So you're saying my hair isn't amazing and it doesn't feel like silk?" She grinned moving her hand to poke him gently in the leg under the table. "And I know my voice is nothing like canaries. The only place I can carry a tune is in bathroom where the shower can drown me out." Artemis laughed. "Thank you, though. Your compliment is appreciated." She smiled at him. Artemis placed her thumb and forefinger on his chin, gripping it lightly between and shook his head just a little. "You look much better sober and not drooling for the record."


"I know that feeling all too well," Ren said, laughing while wondering if Artemis was actually honestly considering that woman as a conquest. It wasn't anything he hadn't seen before, but the idea was still intriguing. He couldn't really help himself, being that he was a man of many conquests himself.

"Hey now," he defended loosely. "I didn't say anything of the sort. It feels like extra soft silk. You know, the kind that uhh... the really fancy kind." He laughed, not sure where he'd been going with that. Artemis brought out a much more relaxed side of him than he'd been able to share with anyone in a long while. Whether or not that was a good thing was left to be discovered. The poke under the table sent a shiver through his body, heat landing between his legs and lingering. Damn it. It had been a while -- a short while, but a while all the same. "If you think this is good, imagine what I'd look like if I showered and wore clean clothes without holes in them."


Artemis didn't really have conquests so to speak. Her days of going over to the bar and trying to pick up men had long since past. Maybe she'd just grown up. Maybe she just hadn't had enough to drink when she was out. It was hard to tell with Artemis. "I don't doubt it." She grinned at him. "I can only imagine how many women felt the exact same way." Oh she was still teasing him. She figured he could take it, she might as well dish it. Plus he knew that she didn't really mean it....right? He teased her after all.

"You've never even touched my hair. You can't know how it feels." She pointed out, her eyebrow raising. Though she was still a touch flattered that he'd say it. She was still riding that line if he was just saying stuff to be a flirt, but she wanted to take it seriously as well. It would be nice, after all, to be complimented. It wasn't as if people were all that willing to compliment you out of the blue. She'd have been glad to know that she had that relaxing effect on him. To her that would mean trust. She liked to be trusted. Who didn't? She looked him over though, taking him him in again. She'd taken him in a few times over the handful of encounters that they had. Maybe it was because he wasn't half asleep one way or another that she liked.

"Maybe if I play my cards right I'll get to see you like that one day." She said, not thinking that it would ever be a possibility. "That's totally a wishful thought, isn't it? I know." She looked over at the holes in his shirt and she poked her finger through one of them touching his skin underneath. "Built in air conditioning huh?"


Ren leaned on the table, his elbow propped up as he tilted his head onto his hand. He watched Artemis as she talked to him, her tone and body language a little difficult to read. Most women were fairly blunt with him, or their real intentions came out quickly. Ren was beginning to doubt that he would ever fully figure Artemis out, if at least for the fact that she continued to come back for more every few days. He wondered vaguely if this was what dating was like, seeing the same person and just hanging out.

"You'd have to be pretty good at playing cards," Ren commented, shrugging his shoulders even as he remained where he'd set himself. "But it's not totally wishful thinking, I guess. Crazier things have happened. Somewhere in my pile of clothing I have a good pair of jeans. And by good, you know, I mean a pair without any holes." He glanced down at the spot where she'd poked through his shirt and chuckled a little. When she'd pulled her hand back he reached out, his palm landing on the side of her head to slide downward before pulling away again. "There, I've touched your hair. It's just as soft as I said it was."


More of what he thought she was coming back for, Artemis had no idea. It wasn't like she was overtly flirty with him, making it clear that she wanted something physical, but she wasn't at all dumb enough to think that this was bordering something more serious. To Artemis, it was just human interaction. You went out and hung around with the people you liked. You talked to them, chatted with them. Whatever it was that you needed to do. Artemis was just that type of person. Sure she could be flighty, but when it came down to what counted, she was always right there.

Artemis smiled when he touched her hair. Sometimes there were people in your life that you didn't want touching you. She hadn't minded when had just done it. "And did you like the feel of it." She prodded him, poking fun at the earlier comments on the woman liking the feel of Ren. "Do you think you'd do it again?" The waitress, Barb, came by and dropped off Artemis's tea and informed them that their food would be out in just a minute curiously glancing between the two seated patrons. Artemis thanked her for the drink but ignored the look. She wasn't going to get herself entangled in any of Ren's romantic liaisons.


Ren laughed, sitting up straight as she asked him if he'd liked the feel of her hair. He glanced over as Barb brought a tea out, eyes scanning it quickly before returning to Artemis's face. "Yeah, of course I liked the feel of it, and I'd do it again if you asked me to." He grinned, leaning to sit back in the booth, arms folded over his chest as he rested. He was only being honest, after all. Maybe perverted, and a little forward, but Ren wasn't known for being shy, and Artemis would be stupid if she hadn't figured that much out by now.


Artemis grinned and took a sip of her iced tea. Well...she didn't taste arsenic in it....Wait could you taste poison like that? Artemis didn't know, but she kept sipping anyway. It was nice and refreshing considering the weather. "Well I don't know how many times a girl asks a guy to pet their hair." She pointed out. She hadn't minded it. Actually it was kind of nice, considering the last time she'd had somebody touch her like was likely...oh crap she couldn't even remember. That was rather sad. His overtly sexual attitude was something Artemis really didn't mind about him now. It was just something you got used to after all and really, he had never tried to force anything on her, or out of her, so what harm could it do? "I enjoyed it though. It's been a while." She said not sure how much she really wanted Ren to know about her lack of partners.


Sitting back as the food arrived, Ren looked from Artemis to the waitress and then back again. He began picking at his food as soon as the waitress had left them alone, messing with his sandwich before turning to look the blond woman over. "Maybe," he said, as though he were being terribly thoughtful, "it's been too long. And maybe... just maybe you were holding out for someone as good as I am to come along." He smirked, but anyone could see by the look in his eyes that he was dead serious. Ren was a relatively decent lover, even if his flings were short-lived.


"Maybe." Artemis said, amused. "Maybe I was waiting for you." Her words were left open but in her town there was likely no way anything between them was going to happen that day. Or the day after. But Artemis had somewhat ruled out that it wouldn't happen ever. Because Artemis figured out that never usually came sooner then she tended to realize. "Maybe." She repeated and started working on her lunch. She'd just have to see.