forum morality is a luxury few can afford (o/o)

Started January 16, 2023 by @menace-to-society

tune

name: Artemy Jaxxson
age: Nineteen
gender/pronouns: Male, he/him
sexuality: Pansexual
power: Impundulu Lightning Bird, can transform into the thunderbird which summons lightning from the skies, though not at will. The weather must be that of a thunderstorm or cloudy at most. The bird can be controlled but currently has no master, and because of this Artemy can freely use lightning when the weather allows it. The lightning doesn't harm him if he decided to manipulate it with his hands. It depends on how long he uses it and how powerful he wants it to be that it becomes a problem as it weakens his body since in human form the body isn't quite adapted to be a vessel for lightning.

Finch was tired. The apocalypse had come and gone, and he had barely survived each agonizing day that followed, and he was tired of it. He missed his family, he missed his friends, and he missed when his biggest worry had been school. Sure, his life had been far from perfect, and his dad and siblings had at times been downright shitty towards him, but he prevailed. Finch always continued onward.

He sighed as he studied the ruins of the city before him. How long had it been since the apocalypse had happened, exactly? It had to be close to four years now, didn't it? Before it had happened, Finch had been in high school, and now he was slowly turning into an adult. What a terrifying concept. He was technically past the age of majority now, but he didn't like to think about it. At least he hadn't been completely alone. He had made new friends from the survivors and lived with a group for a while, which made things easier, especially since the ability that he had manifested wasn't exactly very good in a fight. At least he was able to help the others he was with.

But now Finch was on his own again. The memory of telling those people goodbye was bittersweet. He had grown close to a few of them, but he was a wanderer now. With the monsters roaming the earth, he had decided a few months ago that he would try to find those that would agree to help him and the other humans. He didn't necessarily want humans to be what they once were, destroying other species as they slowly killed the earth (clearly he was an optimist), but he wanted himself and the others to be able to live without barely surviving each new day. Sure, sometimes nothing would happen and they would be safe for days, weeks, even months at a time. But in this new state of living, one never knew when a beast would strike. He had lost several of his friends from his group that way.

He had asked the others he was with in his last group if they would help him, but everyone thought he had a death wish. And maybe he did. But Finch was determined that he would make his life matter, and that he would do anything he could to help humanity. Humans were a hardy bunch, after all, and Finch had the stubbornness of a donkey when it came to his ideals. He was going to make a difference or die trying. Sure, it wasn't the best or most thought out plan, but he had heard rumors as he traveled, and spoken to a few of the more friendly creatures. While there wasn't any specific, concrete thing that he was searching for, he at least had a few ideas of where to start.

At any rate, today would be a rest day (or a relative rest day, compared to days where he was nearly constantly on the move). He had come across the ruins of another big city, and likely a human population. He just hoped that other humans lived here, because he was in desperate need of some more supplies and rest. While living in this environment had helped him to learn a lot about the flora and fauna, he would seriously appreciate some canned food or granola bars since his stash was out. He kept walking, surveying the street for any sort of activity, human or otherwise.

(thanks :)

Things weren't all that different. Sure the creatures that lurked in the land were something Artemy never thought to see in his lifetime, not to mention the collapse of civilization, but Artemy had always been on his own, in the streets, wandering with no home. Before everything, he worked in a shitty rundown arcade building, it was his only stable income, and even that wasn't enough some days.
Now that no one had any place where they belonged, Artemy felt like he had had a headstart, not in the sense that he knew what he was doing, but in a way that he was used to this, wandering.
Artemy had always been one to be on guard, picking up on anything that was detrimental to his well-being. If he had to pick a fight, he would pick a fight, or if someone followed him he'd confront them because nine times out of ten people were sloppy and Artemy was good at these things, watching, listening. It's how he had been raised.

After everything had gone into hell, the world thrown into disarray, Artemy had not visited any major ruined cities, not only was this to avoid people at all costs, but it was also to prevent any memories from resurfacing. The cities reminded him of a time when everything was okay and it made him ache. He missed being safe in the arms of someone who would do anything to protect him. The last time he had felt like that was when he was eleven. His upbringing hadn't been the best, but the people that took care of him after the disastrous parenting style of adults was more than he could have asked for. All things considered, things had turned out all right. Because of the nature of his family, things could have gone down a much more different path, and while Artemy was not one to believe in a higher power, he thanked anything that had contributed to his protection.

Even though Artemy never stepped foot in the cities and mainly stayed in a house that had been ditched after the chaos, he would watch the people come and go- or what was left of them. Some of them had built small groups and stuck together, looking after each other. Artemy would watch as larger groups came and took advantage of those small ones, but that was none of his business. He turned a blind eye, humans were what they had always been, selfish and cruel. Sure there were those that were the better of the bunch, but it was rare. He doubted most of the good people had survived. They were either dead now or turned into the rest of the lot. Artemy had no interest in joining a group with devious intentions, or even partnering up with someone who would slow him down.
Today however was different. It was the first time in all those years that he had found himself gravitating towards one of the ruined cities. The home near the woods where he had briefly set up shop had been taken over, Artemy had fought, but found himself overpowered by the group. They hadn't looked strong at all, but he had been proven wrong when the place had been turned into a battlefield and his life had flashed before his eyes.

Artemy was a fighter, but even he knew when he should cut his losses. It had been a long time since he had gotten into a brawl, and while Artemy did his best to keep himself in shape, he found his abilities to be rusty.
Either way, it was back to searching for another place to settle down, meanwhile, he would look for anything that would aid his survival.

Finch sighed, not finding anyone in the outskirts of the city so far. He had really been hoping for a friendly group to let him stay the night, but he did have to remember that not everyone would be as welcoming as the group he was last with. Sometimes humans could be cruel creatures, and he didn't want to find out the worst of it. Finch was good at reading people, but his powers lied in the realm of healing, not mind reading, so there was only so much he could ascertain from a first encounter. So he decided to at least check out a nearby 7-Eleven in hopes that something would be left. As soon as the world had started to go to shit, people had raided supermarkets and drug stores to stock up on supplies, leaving few of them remaining with anything. People had even died in these early stages of riots, without even having to go near a monster. Finch shuddered. What a horrible way to die.

He opened the door with a faint jingle, looking around the store to find it empty. He walked through the aisles, hoping to find something he could use, but as he expected, it was picked over. Every bottled and canned beverage was long gone, and the slushy machine was clearly out of use. There were a few empty cups remaining, so Finch took one just in case he could use it later. The shelves were nearly empty, with a few years-old candy bars and pastries rotting, leaving an unpleasant smell that caused Finch to plug his nose as he walked past.

On his second loop around the store, he found some Spaghetti-os that had fallen under a shelf and added it to his bag. Well, at least that was something. He had never liked Spaghetti-os that much before the apocalypse, but they might as well be a delicacy now with how scarce things like that were. That seemed to be the only usable thing in the vicinity, so he sighed and walked back out of the store. At least he had found something left behind, which was better than he should have expected.

As he exited the 7-Eleven, he heard movement, glancing around in alarm. It sounded somewhat like footsteps, but he couldn't guess what sort of creature they belonged to. It was definitely not the more rodent-like, scavenging creatures that were more common in the urban areas, and the only other creatures Finch had seen in ruined cityscapes were the sort who preyed on humans. Finch hoped this wasn't that sort of creature, dread opening a pit in his stomach as he quietly walked in the opposite direction, hoping to avoid the creature. Unfortunately, the creature was onto him, and his terror hit a peak as the head of a manticore appeared around the corner. In Finch's experience, they were not friendly towards humans. So that was bad.

Artemy found himself at the edge of this particular city, not being able to cross into it. Not that he couldn't, but more like he didn't want to. It was at this moment that he felt really annoyed. Annoyed with the group who had taken away his semi-decent home from him. Humans. Artemy sneered in his head. Whatever, what was done was done and he was lucky enough to have escaped with his life. Minor injuries sure, but nothing enough to kill him.
He had been fixing lunch when had heard the group outside. Had he killed them, he would be eating a perfectly- well, almost perfectly good oatmeal. Not exactly lunch material, but Artemy loved oatmeal and it had taken him a while to get his hands on it.
The more he thought about it, the more enraged he felt. His fucking oats. Gone. He had even gone through the trouble of growing strawberries and blueberries for it too. There were no cows around this area, but the water did just fine. It didn't matter, none of it matter now. He just had to get something else to eat.

As Artemy wandered through the city, he found that the group who had been there the other day had gone…or well, most likely probably slaughtered. It wasn't uncommon in abandoned cities like this, as they were abandoned for a reason. Artemy could deal with the creatures on his own as he was pretty good at keeping himself hidden, not to mention the recent addition to his physique. It didn't happen out of the blue, it was gradual. In fact, Artemy hadn't been aware of what he could do until he fought for his life on a rainy day. His hands had transformed into something claw-like, like that of a bird, talons replacing his nails, the rest of his hand completely pitch black and scaly. The scales went up to his elbows until they faded out. This had taken a toll on Artemy both physically and mentally, as he didn't know what was happening.
Soon after that, he recovered fairly quickly and found that he was pretty much well off on his own. He had known this as he had done well for a year, but even more so now.
Artemy kept walking till he heard footsteps, not just footsteps, someone was running. They weren't in sight yet, but sure enough, after a second, someone was running towards him, and the best part? There was a manticore on their tail. Artemy just loved when things went his way.

"You're kidding me!" He yelled in disbelief as he took a step back. He looked up to the skies, and nope. It was clear. There was no helping in this situation, not that he was confident that he could have done enough damage in the first place.
He looked at the guy coming his way and he had two choices. One, run like hell and go back the way where he came from, hope the thing didn't latch onto him, lose the darn thing, and maybe, just maybe he'd live. Or two, he could help the poor soul who managed to catch the attention of the beast.
Yeah, no, he was running.
So without a second thought, he turned and ran. He was pretty sure that both the guy and the manticore had seen him at this point, he just prayed the beast didn't divert its gaze from its original prey.

Finch hadn't realized that anyone else was near him at that time, and he hoped if someone were it was a particularly benevolent group of people who had offensive powers. His own ability was near useless in a battle unless he got hurt, but he hoped it wouldn't get to that point. His knife and pistol would do little against this beast. Maybe if the manticore were something smaller or less aggressive one of those weapons would have helped. He didn't have the ammo to waste on something that would almost certainly survive him shooting at it, assuming he could aim while running and also turn around without getting eaten. He felt bad for dragging this innocent bystander into his problem, but it wasn't as if he had much of a choice.

The other guy wasn't too far ahead of him, but far enough that the manticore would definitely catch Finch first, and he was losing ground. Manticores were fucking fast. He wished the guy would have helped him a bit, but considering there was a high likelihood that helping Finch would end up with them both getting killed, Finch couldn't exactly blame him. So there they were, just two guys running from a deadly beast. He had to think of something, and fast, or they were both going to die. Or, at least Finch was going to die. If the manticore killed and ate him, it might give the stranger enough time to escape.

No. It wouldn't end here. Come on, Finch, think, he chided himself. There had to be a way out of this. With his non-combative power, he had survived due to a combination of luck and creativity, and he was not going to endure all of that only to end up dead via manticore before he could make any real change. He narrowed his eyes, taking in his surroundings. What was a manticore's weakness? He hadn't been a huge nerd before the apocalypse for nothing, right? He remembered them hating elephants, but he didn't exactly see any right now. The longer he took to think, the closer the beast got to him. It even sent a poisonous dart from its scorpion tail whizzing past Finch's face. Too close!

Comeoncomeoncomeon… he thought to himself, glancing through the smashed window of a nearby sandwich shop as he ran past it. That's right! Manticores would turn to stone if they saw their reflection! But Finch didn't have a mirror…

"Hey, do you…by any chance…have a mirror on you?" he panted out as he ran, the words coming out in a barely understandable wheeze. Please tell me I don't have to repeat myself, he wished, trying to ignore the manticore slowly gaining ground on him.

Artemy had hoped the thing caught up to the poor guy- yeah yeah, call him cruel, he wasn't any different from all the others and maybe was a little worse in that regard, but what was he supposed to do in this situation?! He knew street smarts, street smarts! Not how to take down a hulking beast of that size!
As they ran, it was clear that thing would probably take one giant chomp out of the guy and then gun for him next. How lovely. It also wasn't like Artemy could command the skies, it did rain a lot in these parts, which is also partially why he stuck around in the wooded areas around the city. It almost rained every day….almost. It just so happened that on this particular day, the beings up above had decided it was his time to die.
…
Okay, so maybe he was being a little dramatic and getting ahead of himself, but it didn't seem likely to survive this. I've survived way too much for this to be my ending. Artemy thought and looked back with wide eyes as the beast was gaining ground.
It wasn't until the other spoke that Artemy tried to think. A mirror? A mirror?! Who the hell just carried a mirror on them?! Had his brother been here, he would have most likely been the one to carry a small one around, always caught up with how he looked and how others perceived him. It left a bitter feeling inside Artemy to think about his brother at a time like this.

"I don't have a mirror!" Artemy called out and as he said that he remembered. In the old place he grew up in, his brother Andre had a small vanity desk, and with it came a mirror. Maybe it was still there, the place had gone down in ruins and he wasn't sure if it had been smashed to pieces but it was worth a shot?
"I don't have one!" He called out again. "But I think I might know where to find one!" He said, pivoting as he ran and changing directions. Risky, but at this point, it didn't matter.
Artemy frantically looked around as he ran, trying to locate the place that was once an arcade- the place he used to work at. Everything looked the same as it was in shambles. He stopped to take a breather as his eyes caught onto something reflective off in the distance. Artemy had no idea why the guy wanted a mirror, but if he had to guess it was to at the very least to deter the creature. So without another second thought, he booked it straight for the shiny object. Artemy really wasn't keen on putting his faith in some stranger, but maybe, just maybe he wouldn't get them both killed. Maybe the guy was onto something.

Right as he got to it, Artemy saw a piece of the old vanity mirror stuck in the rubble. What were the odds of that? Though just like he had predicted, some parts had been broken and the biggest piece was stuck under the desk, bent at an awkward angle but somehow still intact.
Artemy quickly went to work, tearing away the giant pieces of rubble that held the desk in place.

Honestly, Finch was surprised that this total stranger happened to know exactly where a mirror would be, though he would have been surprised if this guy happened to carry a mirror on him as well. A wash of relief hit him as the guy started going through some rubble, and Finch figured he'd seen a mirror. His companion must have lived in this area or something to know exactly where it would be, and Finch felt a pang of loss that the guy was returning to his long-destroyed home. Finch had avoided his old neighborhood like the plague. He hated remembers of the life he'd once had because they bogged him down with sadness. Sure, he'd grieved that life already, but now he had to move forward, and Finch had never been good at that.

As Finch got nearer to the guy, he was able to sift through the rubble as well, trying to help as much as possible. But him being close enough to help meant that the manticore would be there any second, and Finch's stomach dropped. His efforts became more frantic, especially when he heard a snarl coming from behind them. They didn't have much longer if they were going to do this. Finch could practically feel the beast breathing down his back when they managed to wrench the biggest chunk of mirror free, and he grabbed it quickly, not caring if he cut himself on the jagged edges as he turned around and held it out in front of himself.

Finch braced himself for the teeth and claws of the manticore to begin digging into his flesh, but the moment he was dreading never came. He slowly opened his eyes again, having closed them after he'd shoved the mirror in the manticore's direction. He practically melted with relief once he realized that the manticore was no longer breathing. It had turned to stone, it's now-gray eerily human face frozen in a growl as it prepared to eat Finch. It was only a few feet away. Finch really had waited until the last moment.

Once he was done marveling in the manticore's new appearance and his incredible luck, he finally lowered the mirror and glanced over at the young man next to him. "So, sorry about that," he apologized with a small chuckle of incredulity. "And uh, thanks for mirror." His hands were a bit scratched up from grabbing the jagged edges that quickly, but nothing that really mattered much. He could heal that easily. He surveyed the stranger next to him for injuries, finding that more important than healing his own. If the guy had gotten injured during this chase, it would sort of be Finch's fault, after all.

Artemy had his teeth gritted the whole time as he dug around, the panic rising to his throat when the other guy was suddenly there helping him out. Glad for the help- terrified of what was coming next. With one final haul, Artemy was able to shove away one of the pieces of rubble that was in the way of getting to the mirror. He didn't have to do much though as the other quickly pulled the piece of the mirror out and whipped around to face the manticore. Artemy watched as the guy cut himself on the sharp edges, a slight wave of sympathy washing over him, though more desperate that this wouldn't work and they had both just ended their lives.

The manticore was basically on them as the mirror faced the beast. Artemy's eyes were wide as he stared at the claws that came right at them, not daring to look away even though he very much wanted to. He was taught to face things head-on, even in near-death experiences. So when the manticore turned to stone, Artemy had a front-row seat to see the thing transform from something living to something solid, still.
There was a brief moment of silence before Artemy let out a shaky breath, not noticing that he had been holding it the entire time they tried to pull the mirror out. From all the adrenaline Artemy's legs nearly buckled underneath him, but instead, he braced himself and put his hands on his knees as he bent over to take in deep breaths. Whoever the fuck this guy was, he sure knew his stuff and Artemy was partially really glad he had run into him, but also not really. Had Artemy decided to take a different route, maybe none of this would have happened.

He watched the other without saying anything, still trying to recover from nearly dying. Never had this been a problem before, usually Artemy could hold his own, sure, not at the beginning but more recently. All it took was the accumulation of things not being in his favor to kill him, as seen with the group who took over his shelter. He still wasn't over that. And his oatmeal.
"Sorry?" Artemy repeated. "What are you sorry for? It's not like you were controlling the thing" Artemy gestured to the frozen manticore, still catching his breath. He didn't know how this guy was able to laugh after that but Artemy felt sick, like really sick, like he was going to-
Without missing a beat he turned and bent over to throw up. Not his finest moment, but that had really shaken him up. And this ladies and gentlemen was the reason he rarely left his relatively safe house he had found. Artemy wiped his mouth with his wrist as he stood up straight again. He nodded in the other's direction when he thanked him for the mirror. Should be thanking my idiot of a brother. Was Artemy's first thought, the guy had saved him even though he was dead. He rolled his eyes. That was a first.

"Anyways, where'd you learn that? I've been avoiding those for the longest time, had I known a mirror would do the trick, it would have saved me a lot of trouble" Artemy said, now regaining some of his composure as he turned back to the guy.
Artemy's eyes looked over the kid, he seemed to be around his age. His eyes went from looking at his eyes, and his facial features, to jumping to his hands which were bleeding. Artemy hesitated, but this guy had quite literally saved his life even if he hadn't meant it. So he pulled out a small cloth he had in his back pocket, his olive green eyes narrowing as he approached the other.
"Would you like me to help you with that?" He asked, eyes looking from the other's hands to meet his eyes again.

Finch wasn't sure how he had managed to laugh at the sight; probably something to do with the shock. He hadn't run into many of the scarier creatures alone, not to mention stopped one seconds before his imminent demise. Thank god for this guy and his mirror. And probably also Finch for what had seemed like a totally useless hobby in high school. Who knew that being a geek would come in handy? Definitely not him. He wished that he had studied more fighting while he was in school, maybe taken karate or something. At any rate, as he studied the guy for injuries, he took in the young man's appearance as well. He looked like the sort of guy that Finch would have crushed on in high school, if he were honest. Luckily, he appeared to be doing okay.

Well, until he threw up. Finch glanced away, trying not to think about it. He had never been the type to puke from seeing others do it, but he still didn't really want to deal with it. At least once the guy began talking again, he seemed fairly normal. So he should be fine, relatively speaking. They were likely both pretty shaken up from the encounter with the manticore.

As the guy asked him about the mirror, Finch braced himself to give the "I was a nerd in high school" speech, until the boy kindly offered a cloth to help with Finch's wounds. He looked down at his hands. Luckily, the cuts and scrapes were small, but there was a little bit of blood. Nothing that he couldn't fix on his own.

"Oh, thanks, but I've got it covered," he responded. Since it was such a minor injury, he should be able to heal himself with little repercussion. Finch concentrated, sending his energy into his hands. The cuts turned a blinding white for several moments, and Finch bit his lip as every cut stung like it was covered in lemon juice. Luckily, the minor injuries didn't hurt or exhaust him too badly. Once his hands had returned to normal, and the pain faded, he looked back at his companion. "I've, um, developed the ability to heal stuff," he added by way of explanation. "Anyway, the reason that I knew about the whole mirror thing was actually because I was a huge nerd in high school. I loved mythology and mythological creatures, especially Greek ones. Yeah, I was the Greek mythology kid in middle school and yeah, I kind of didn't stop. But I had heard of manticores turning to stone when they looked at their reflection in a mirror, so I figured that probably applied to the real world." And thank god he was right. That had been more of an educated guess than a fact he was sure of, but he suspected this guy would not appreciate him hammering that fact in.

Artemy watched as the other's hands glowed white, his eyes were a little wide as he saw it all happen. He was about to ask about it when the guy answered the question in his mind for him.
"You can heal?" He asked though it sounded more like a statement. "That's…interesting," Artemy said, but his lack of shock indicated that he was familiar with others having abilities, ie, himself. He looked down at his handkerchief, and promptly put it back where he had it previously.
"Well, that's actually really good, you don't have to worry about getting hurt" Which also meant that Artemy didn't have to feel responsible for this young man. Part of him felt like he should help him which was why he had led the guy to a mirror, but he kept a strict no helping others rule because all they had done in the past was take advantage of him. Besides, he would have died next if he hadn't helped. His job here was done though and now they could both go on their own ways.
"I haven't seen another person with abilities before" He commented, though didn't elaborate on it.

When the other began to explain Artemy's question about the mirror, a sort of amused smile formed on his lips. A nerd? School? It had been a long time since he heard about school, it felt refreshing but also brought on a lot of missed memories.
At the word 'probably' Artemy gave the other a blank look. Probably? Probably?? Artemy tried not to freak out at the thought that everything could have gone so wrong, though he was thankful it had worked, so he tucked away the image of being in the manticore's mouth, shredded to pieces.
Artemy cleared his throat when he realized he had been staring for too long.
"Well, I'm glad it worked out." Artemy shifted nervously. He looked over at the broken mirror and then back to the manticore. Maybe this guy knew other stuff about how to defeat the others and while Artemy considered asking him, he figured he didn't really need the information as he could handle his own.
"Right, so…" Artemy looked out into the distance at all the ruins. "Why are you here? This place has been deserted since the start of humanity's demise, you won't find anything here except…those" His eyes flickered over to the frozen beast. "and maybe a few things others have left, but unless you want to risk your life for it, I don't recommend it" He said, thinking about exiting the city after all of that.

"You should stick to a group, not that you would have had much of a chance had you not known about the mirror trick, but at least it would have given you some time to escape. I'm sure others would love to have you around with your abilities" Artemy said casually. He personally would not be doing that though, he had enough of everyone and their ugly personalities.
"I should also get going before it gets too dark, I'm not sure for how long I'll be walking," He said, wondering if he'd even be able to find another place to stay at. He had thought of taking refuge here in the city, but seeing how it was as dangerous as ever, maybe that wasn't a good idea.

Why was he here? Well, that was a doozy. He could either be totally evasive or explain his entire idea, which this guy might think was idiotic at best and suicidal at worst. He supposed he would gauge the stranger's reaction to other things first. "I'm just passing through," he responded, glancing around at the ruined city. "I didn't know how abandoned this place was until today, honestly. Not as if the telephone lines are still working, ya know?" He chuckled awkwardly, always having been the sort of person to try and make jokes to make a situation seem less bad.

"Anyway. I use to have a group, but I split from them for the time being. I've been on my own for a while, but eventually I might rejoin a group. It's definitely safer, you're right about that. And the companionship is nice. But I had my own things I wanted to take care of, and they weren't on board. I mean that's pretty fair, considering that their way is a lot safer. They're smart like that. I am, well, idealistic, let's say."

Before he could continue, he let the other's words sink in. Before dark? It seemed as if this guy was really making a trek somewhere. "Where are you going?" he asked, curious. "And why did you come here, when it's crawling with monsters?"

Just passing through? Well, his small little stroll almost got him killed, got them both killed. Artemy looked to the city when the guy did, he had seen it plenty of times back when everything had first crumbled. He couldn't say he missed it as he ran the streets back then, but the present day wasn't any better. Maybe a slight improvement from his previous shelter, but not by a lot. He still didn't know where his next meal would come from, always looking for scraps others had left behind.
Artemy's eyes came back to land on the guy when he spoke.
"Yeah, I guess so. Not a lot of people come through here anymore and you can take a wild guess why." He said, shifting his weight from one leg to another. Artemy arched an eyebrow at that, curious as to what the other meant.
He wouldn't question it though, some people were strange like that, feeling the need to do something other than search or hunt for food instead of staying in one safe location. Maybe this person was searching for another, a family member perhaps? Still, the odds of finding someone you love to be alive were slim.
"Well, you seem alright on your own, so far," He says, pausing at his next questions. He looks up at the sky briefly then back to the large beast, still not over the fact that a mirror of all things had worked to stop it.

"I'm not heading anywhere, in particular, just trying to find a place to crash. My old place was broken into and the fight was a little more than I was willing to risk" He explained. "It was outside of the city, so it wasn't a far walk" Artemy moved to hop down from the ruins onto the pavement again.
"I came here to…." The words died on his tongue. Why was he talking to this person again? He should have already been on his way. Artemy had got so caught up in the moment, the near-death experience making him catch his breath, that he had forgotten how he didn't really give away the places he was going, where he lived, information of any kind.
Truth was, Artemy was starved of social interactions and he hadn't realized he had gotten pulled into the conversation till now. He also seemed very chatty for someone that had been on his own for quite a while now.
He eyed the kid, figuring he seemed pretty harmless, though it wouldn't be the first time he had been wrong about that. He'd take his chances.
"I came to stay for a night," He said truthfully. "I thought maybe the creatures would have dispersed and left the city, or well, some of them anyway." Artemy frowned, now thinking how foolish it had been to think of something like that. "But something tells me I'm wrong" He deadpanned.

(sorry for the brief hiatus! i, in fact, alive lol)

Finch gave a weak laugh at that, the hungry look in the manticore's eyes still in the back of his mind. He did feel bad for dragging this guy into that mess, but thankfully the young man had ended up saving them both in the end. Finch had that sort of weird luck where everything managed to work out alright, despite the absolute terror in the moment. He had always been lucky, almost as if something were watching over him. But he knew that luck couldn't keep him alive forever. If he kept wandering on his own, his luck might run out eventually. Maybe he could figure out how this guy survived on his own, learn from him, and then use that knowledge to keep himself alive as he looked for a solution. God, trying to help humanity was exhausting. At least Finch was damn stubborn.

"So what's your plan now, then?" Finch asked, a curious gleam in his eyes. "Since, you know, this city isn't looking exactly hospitable at the moment." He gave a soft chuckle, though there was a bit of uneasiness behind it. Nowhere was really safe anymore, and the near death experience was a brutal reminder of that. Maybe if they stuck together for a bit longer, some of Finch's insane luck would rub off on this stranger. Which reminded Finch, he still had no idea what this guy's name was. In his head, he had just been referring to the boy as 'this guy,' but that got old fast. He figured he could at least offer up his own name to this man, letting him decide whether to give his name in turn. Names carried power now, with the release of some creatures that could use something as simple as a name to their advantage.

"Oh, just realized I never gave my name. I'm Finch," he added, hoping that with his weird luck this boy wouldn't turn out to be some sort of monster who had been waiting for that very moment. But he doubted a monster would be crafty enough to let itself nearly get killed by a manticore just for the chance that Finch would introduce himself.

(you're all good! i sort of dropped off the face of the earth for a while there, but hopefully, i'm back, might be choppy, more than usual, but i'll try to be here)

Artemy gave the other a suspicious look when he caught the curious gleam in his eye.
"My plan…" He trailed off. I don't have a plan, but I can't look like I don't know what I'm doing. Was Artemy's thought process.
He cleared his throat as if buying time to think. He listened to the guy talk and gave a few seconds of silence until he started up again.
"What gave you that idea?" Artemy nearly scoffed, the sassiness of his personality coming through, though now there was a smile on his face as he looked away from the person in front of him.
"But yeah, this place isn't going to be a good place to stay for now." Artemy looked behind him, then the way they had come from. The forest? But then what? The place he had stayed at was the only shelter he knew of, sure he could look around and maybe find someplace else, but the odds of that? Probably zero. It didn't help that Artemy had the optimism of a dead man.
"I'll figure something out," He said finally, choosing to give up on thinking about it any further. Artemy could always improvise, it was something he was good at. If he couldn't find a place to stay, he'd just climb a tree or something and hope he didn't get struck by lightning when the rain came.

When the stranger gave him his name, Artemy's immediate thought was not to trust this person. He didn't know why, but he seemed…too willing.
There was silence as Finch introduced himself as if Artemy was debating whether he should say something or just simply walk away. What were the odds of this guy surviving anyway? He probably wouldn't see him again, but then why was he so scared to give him his name?
Come on, don't be a coward Artemy. He heard a voice in his head, not his own, but echoes of someone who had died, as if helping him with his decision.
"Artemy…" He said slowly as if he could retract it if he changed his mind in that second.
There were more seconds of awkward silence.
Okay, that was enough, he was leaving.
Without giving it a second thought he turned to go.
"I hope you have a good life," He called out. "Try not to die…again" He said as he started getting his brain working again on all the options he had right now, which weren't much. As much as Artemy hated to even think about living with a group again, he had to think about his survival. No one would take in a stranger these days, not unless you had something to offer, and Artemy had absolutely nothing.
Well. He had something, but he'd probably be used as a weapon. Not that it was too bad, but that was not a can of worms he wanted to open up.

(no worries! :))

Finch had actually been feeling like the two of them were having a mostly pleasant conversation until Artemy turned to just up and leave. It was then that the reality of his situation hit Finch like a slap to the face. Sure, it hadn't seemed as bad when he was in the shelter of his camp and his friends, but only after having the thought of company and someone to watch to his back was the true nature of being completely alone in this world really sinking in. Sure, he'd felt lonely and scared and vulnerable throughout this journey, naturally, but the idea of companionship had warmed him for a moment. The thought that the companionship was tossed out the window just like that made him feel more alone than before. God, he was pathetic, wasn't he? Setting out on some noble goal only to fold at the first thought of a potential friendship? He needed to get a grip. But all wasn't lost yet. Maybe his desperate ass could convince this loner to stick it out with him, if only for a small amount of time.

"Wait!" he called, already feeling a bit embarrassed by himself. He was an adult now, so why was he always acting like such a child? "Why don't we just travel together? I mean, it doesn't have to be for long or anything, but you know what they say. There's safety in numbers, right?" He did an awkward half-jog to catch up with the guy, giving a sheepish smile. "I mean, obviously, you can say no, but it would be nice to have someone to travel with for a little bit, right? Plus, I don't know this area very well, so maybe you could help me out a bit?"

Well, this was definitely a vulnerable moment for Finch. He had never been this obviously desperate for company, and despite his little speech, he seriously hoped that Artemy couldn't sense that. He didn't want the guy to think that he was more of a loser than Artemy already did. But at the same time, if that was what got him to team up with Finch for the time being, he could look past it. What he really wanted was not to be alone.

Artemy did in fact, not wait and kept walking. As Finch tried to reason with Artemy, he looked over to the other as he caught up with him. Artemy didn't say anything until Finch was done talking. He thought about it. The guy knew things, things that were useful, stuff that would come in handy in a life or death situation…like just now.
"There is safety in numbers if we had a group, but what are two lone guys going to do when we're the ones being outnumbered?" Artemy said in return. He didn't mean to be spikey- well, yes he did, but it was only because he really didn't like the idea of teaming up with anyone.
He sighed and stopped walking. He knew that he could protect himself when it came down to a fight, but protecting someone else?
"I assume you know how to fight then? Weild a weapon?" Artemy questioned and crossed his arms. The guy had to, he had made it this far, there was no way someone was still alive without killing a thing or two in this world. And assuming that he could fight, that would mean that Artemty didn't have to look out for the other.
Now that he thought about it, it really didn't sound that bad. He would have someone to watch his back and if Finch died? Then he died, not like that was his problem, right? They were just traveling together, with no strings attached. It was only for a while.
Artemy studied Finch for a second as he debated it.
"Fine." He said at last. "But if it comes down to a fight, I probably won't be there to help out all the time" Artemy could if the weather was right, but mainly, he relied on the skills he had picked up years ago.
"I'll…show you around if that's what you want. As of right now, we don't have anywhere to go, so I suggest finding a place." Obviously, Artemy had no clue in hell where to start. He was thinking back at the forest, maybe find a small shed or something, start a fire, camp out for a bit until they found a stable place to hide out in.
Not exactly the safest option, but it was that or walking till they found somewhere decent. Artemy knew of a motel a few ways away from the city, but it was a long way and they wouldn't make it before dark. That and he didn't know if it was safe either.
Forest or motel?
"How long have you been walking? I'm only asking because I want to know if you can keep going. If not, we can stay somewhere nearby for now"

Finch tried to stifle his excitement. Finally! A companion! Yeesh, he was acting weird. He hadn't realized how much being by himself for so long had taken a toll on him. It hadn't even been that long, either. Ah well. The important thing was that he had someone to watch his back now. As Artemy went on, Finch nodded along, listening. He really wasn't that skilled at fighting, but he knew enough to at least defend himself when it came down to it. Plus, with his ability, he could heal his own wounds, which was immensely helpful. And his knowledge about the creatures currently roaming the planet had come in handy multiple times, definitely saving his ass. Not only that, but he knew which plants were edible (well, several edible plants, anyway) due to his time at a wilderness survival camp in middle school. So he hoped he would be an asset.

"I know how to fight," Finch agreed, biting down his eagerness. He had to reign it in so this guy didn't think he was a crazy person. "And to use a knife. And a gun, more or less." That meant he had been with his father to a shooting range all of two times, so the chances of him actually knowing what to do with a gun were not great, but it was better than nothing. "Maybe more on the less side, to be honest. But anyway, I can hold my own. I'm not a child."

"I really don't know the area that well, but I can try to think of something if you don't have any ideas," he added, after Artmey had mentioned finding somewhere to stay. "I've been walking a little while, but I can keep going for a bit longer."

While he was a bit vague and leaving a lot up to his newfound companion, Finch did want to help and contribute as much as he could. If he were going to ask this guy to come along with him, if only for a short time, he didn't want to be a burden. Once he figured out which direction to go from here safely, he would say his goodbyes. After all, who would be crazy enough to join him for his full journey?

Artemy seemed to pick up on Finch's eagerness and looked away, his features softening as his lip twitched into something barely resembling a smile. It was…refreshing in a way. This person was weird, interesting. Most of those left nowadays had a look to them, as if they had been through hell, which wasn't that far off the truth. Finch however was different, there were no walls up to guard him. If he had any, then he sure did a good job of hiding them.

"Right, not a child" Artemy repeated as if not fully convinced but accepting Finch's words. "That's good to know," He said, though it sounded like he was mocking Finch.
"I have two ideas. We could stay in the forest and take our chances with anything nearby, or walk to a place a bit far off. It's a motel, and I'm not sure if it's being occupied, or if it's even safe, but it wouldn't hurt to check it out" He looked at Finch. He narrowed his eyes at him, wondering if it was wise to walk to the motel now.
"If we start walking now to the motel, we're not stopping till night hits, understand?" Artemy said. "So if you can keep going only for a bit longer, I think our best bet is the woods" Artemy didn't seem too pleased with the idea of staying in the woods. It's not like it would be any different than staying anywhere else, they'd still be out in the open when they stopped to rest at night if they traveled to the motel now, but at least they'd be closer to a place that could potentially aid them.

As he thought about this, his stomach protested with pain at the lack of food he had consumed the day prior. He hadn't had much today either so of course his body wasn't happy with him.
"Before we move on though, let's see if there's anything useful here to eat." Artemy seemed to have no hope of finding anything in the city, but he was willing to try anything out just to eat, maybe they would get lucky. That or he was wasting his time.
Artemy knew how to navigate the city, hiding from things and dodging close calls, but with someone now attached to him, that wasn't going to be easy.
"I know that it's probably not a wise idea to keep walking around this place, but if you just stick close to me, we should be fine." Still, Artemy sounded uncertain. It was a stupid idea really, but he had come to the city for one thing and he was not leaving until he found at least something edible.

Finch probably had the stamina left in him to walk to the motel. He couldn't be sure, but he had pushed himself before, and he knew his limits. 'A bit far off' was kind of vague, but Finch was sure that he could handle it. Despite Artemy's clear mocking tone, Finch really could handle himself. How else would he have survived alone all this time? It wasn't just his burning passion that kept him going. He had survival skills, even if that meant the skills of running away or finding ways to avoid fighting. He was good at that. Kept him sharp. Or so he liked to think, anyway.

He figured that Artemy was right, though. Walking around this place couldn't be the best idea. It was clearly dangerous. But as soon as the guy mentioned food, Finch felt a hollow pang in his stomach. When had he last ate? Long enough ago that he had to think about it, at least. He'd had something earlier that day, but not enough to really fill his stomach. He hadn't really felt full in a while, if he were honest. In this apocalyptic world, where would that even be possible aside from a human settlement, maybe?

"Alright," Finch said, agreeing with a nod. He would do his best to be an asset and not a hinderance to Artemy, and look out for anything that might want to eat them. He believed in himself. The two of them could make a great team, and Finch was willing to put in his share of the work to make it happen. They just had to stick together and pay attention. Despite Artemy's uncertain tone, Finch was hopeful. Two sets of eyes were better than one, weren't they? He was sure that they could find something if they put their heads together. After all, Artemy knew the area much better than Finch did. Finch just had sheer dumb luck and some basic survival skills on his side.

Truth was, Artemy severely underestimated Finch. It wasn't that Artemy was all high and mighty when it came to his abilities, but he was confident in being alone. He didn't interact much with others, so he came off as dismissive and thinking he knew what was better for others.
With the confirmation of the other, Artemy started towards the frozen manticore, expecting Finch to follow.
There was something Artemy knew about this city that others didn't. There were resources here. Sure, not a lot, but enough to aid someone just trying to get by. Said resources were much farther into the city where most of the creatures lurked. The farther you went in, the more you would find since it hadn't been looted by anyone yet- anyone crazy enough to risk their lives. Anyone who tried would end up dead. There were some skilled humans and groups who had successfully gotten part of it, but a lot of it remained untouched.
Now, Artemy wasn't suicidal or stupid. He would only go so far, but today he figured he'd push his luck. He had already had a brush with death today, but that didn't seem to stop him. By stepping foot in the city, this had been his intention from the very start. He would try to stock up as much as he could.

As they walked, the buildings towered over them and became more clustered together. Artemy led the way, taking the back streets and temporarily hiding out in buildings he knew were safe. Or mostly safe. He was never a hundred percent sure.

"Think we might have to go a little further. I remember there being a bar up here somewhere…" He trailed off as he caught the tail end of a shadow disappearing into a different street behind a building. Artemy swallowed nervously.
Currently, he had led them both into a building that was used to sell furniture. Most things were still intact, although covered in thick dust. He was peaking out into the street through a shattered window, making sure to have a place to duck away if he spotted something. So far there was nothing, which was suspicious in Artemy's mind. There was something off about the streets being empty, but he couldn't put his finger on it. There was the quick glimpse of the shadow, but nothing had picked up on them at this point.

"There doesn't seem to be anything yet" Artemy spoke to Finch, mostly to calm his nerves. If Finch hadn't been there, he would still be talking, only to himself.
"How do you feel running across the street into the other building there?" Artemy turned to Finch and asked. "I'd go first to make sure there's nothing. Then you'd follow." Artemy looked out of the window to see something shadow over that part of the city. It could be one of two things. A cloud covering the sun momentarily, or a creature flying overhead.