Up the platform of ice zooms, up through a momentary formed hole in the roof to the fourth floor! With a wrenching stop, it ends and turns over, d umping you down on the floor harshly.
"Ow...now where are we," Artemis asks, looking around and rubbing his rear. The area is brighter, with only a single layer of ice blocking the sun now. Yet the same frozen world greets you...
"A floor up and away from the girls," Haruka notes, kicking the spot of ground that raised them up to this level, but only feeling solid ground. "And going in the opposite direction of the ground floor, I'd like to point out, " she finishes with an exasperated sigh.
Turning to regard Artemis, "At least we know where we're supposed to be headed though. Though now to see if the girls are okay."
So saying, she tries to reach Ami with her communicator.
Artemis grunts something agreeing, though still obviously out of sorts by the rise and bump. His face is clearly annoyed as he takes a moment to brush off his strange clothes.
There is a hissing as you turn on your communicator, static and fuzz. Between a snowy viewing screen and no sound, a few seconds show that it looks like you can't reach Ami's communicator. In fact, a little 'Signal cannot transfer correctly' macro appears on the viewing screen.
"At least it's brighter up here...come on, we can probably crack our way through ice at the next escalator."
Haruka pockets the communicator with a frown, but nevertheless nods at Artemis' words and heads off in search of the escalators.
Haruka sighs a bit, "I wish I was with one of the girls..." she comments off-hand, while watching her footing on the icy ground.
"Hey," Artemis fires back, as you begin to head to the nearest path down - a fair bit aways. Past a shop advertising winter sales, "I'm not total deadweight, you know." Sniffing a bit in overly offendedness, "Or do you just want a chance to move in on one of them?"
Then addressing Artemis' last question, "Only one of them? Is both not an option?" Haruka replies with a cheeky smile, glad that at the very least, this little trip wasn't going to be a boring one.
Flashing a smirk at the Mau, "And don't get your tail in a kink, kitty cat. I wasn't trying to put you down at all," she placates. "It's more like the two of them bring out this desire in me to want to protect them is all."
"Yeah, right," chuckling, he shakes his head and tries to move on from it. "I guess I could see that with Viluy, but why Ami..." he muses, then turns a slightly susupcious glare on you. "You aren't...interested in her as well, are you?"
Haruka notes the glare from Artemis, but smiles nonetheless. "The question I have for you is, why not Ami?" she asks the protective Mau, studying his reactions.
"Viluy," he states plainly, turning his still somewhat feline gaze at you. "Besides, I didn't think Ami was really your type, Haruka." Pausing in his walking, "Look. Ami's a nice girl and all, but unless you're seroiusly interested, don't play with her feelings." The last is said rather bluntly, surprisingly so from the normally rather laid back Mau.
Just what I need to do. If I'd done this, Minako wouldn't have gone so far with Rei, and....
"In all honesty, Artemis, you don't know me well enough to know what my 'type' is," Haruka politely replies to the Mau.
"And if you think I'd do something as heartless as toy with Ami's feelings," she begins, giving Artemis a measured look, "Then you know nothing about me."
Haruka can feel the stir of annoyance bubbling below the surface of her control as she stares across at Artemis. She can understand why the Mau would be protective of Ami, but it was still rather irking.
"Look," she says, "I know you want to protect her from the evils of the world, but tone down your defenses a bit, will ya?"
Artemis takes Haruka's worth, indulging ina deep breath as the cold and your current business are put aside for the moment. "I do know Ami, enough so that she really doesn't need any more heartbreak on top of everything else." The Mau speaks calmly enough, though you can feel matching pique bubbling up in him.
"I'm not saying that you wouldn't mean well, Haruka. But I won't let her get hurt like that."
Like Minako and Rei...
"Fair enough," Haruka tells Artemis with a nod.
After a brief pause settles, "I'll answer your question seriously then. I said I wanted to protect Ami because I genuinely like her. Like her in what way, I'm not quite sure yet myself."
She frowns slightly at how ambiguous she sounds, but mentally shrugs as it IS the truth.
Thinking a moment, he fixes on you firmly again with human/cat eyes. "Fine. I'll take your word for it, Haruka...but what about Viluy, then? Aren't you two still together?"
Just like Minako was so paranoid about REi seeing someone else, like Usagi...
Critically, he snorts. "That's what I'm worried about if you decide you do LIKE her. Ami doesn't need to be dragged into that drama."
"The situation between Viluy and I is a complicated one. I'm not sure if a simple explanation will cover it," she tells Artemis, not really wanting to get into it.
On Artemis' second part though... "You're sounding almost disturbingly overbearing. I can see being protective, but this," Haruka shakes her head a bit at that. "Ami's a big girl, you should leave some of these decisions to her."
"She is a big girl," he agrees, scowling. "But I won't stand by and do nothing for her, either." At that, he eyes you. "But back on that, you make it sound like there's trouble in paradise."
And I thought that at least those two would...
Giving Haruka a not entirely unsympathetic look, "Try me. What's the big complication, anyway?"
Haruka bristles a bit at Artemis' attempt at opening dialogue, but nonetheless... "Have you ever loved someone, I mean on a level that you didn't think you thought possible, only to have that person not love you back as fully in return?" she asks softly. "If you know that feeling, then you'd understand my situation.... But if you did, I'd pity you as well."
Why am I even bothering to tell him any of this?
A brief moment of silence is broken by a snort of derision on Haruka's part. "I'm not even drunk and I'm pouring my heart out to a cat..." she chuckles hollowly at that.
Maybe because you need to? A small part of her mind whispered.
Haruka gives a glance at Artemis.
Yeah. Maybe....
The Mau pauses, face neutral for several mutatedly long moments as he considers that. "So that's it?" he asks quietly.
"It's Viluy, isn't it?" On saying so, the Mau frowns again. "Haruka..."
A sigh as he considers that, a popping sound around you as narrow pillars rise from the ice around you in a four pillar off center square. Unadored, each pillar none the less radiates intense, stunning cold. You can feel your body going numb as the air begins to color white around you.
"I...what?" Breaking off and whipping around to stare at one of the five feet fall poles as a circular pattern of white ice-snow fills the spaces between the pillars, rapidly freezing you! "Guh!" Shuddering deeply at the cold wind, Artemis hesitates.
OOC - Moving this into the Freezing Mall thread now.