Log:Even Rocky Had a Montage

2021/03/21 Cryostatic Artemis 1

Artemis knows her Squire pretty well. Thus, in her search for him, she has wandered far afield from the places that he normally frequents on his patrols and as a civilian.

Instead, Artemis has had to go to Cryostatic's sulking place to find him. She finds him sitting on the roof of a closed factory, staring forlornly at the fuel cell plant and a small collection of power sub-stations that form a horizon line along the northwestern frontier of the industrial park.

Artemis drops down feet first from the sky, slowly to a halted hover behind her sulking Squire. "There you be," she says with some satisfaction at finally having found the right sulking spot.

"Here I am," replies Cryostatic.

One gloved hand reaches up and offers a meat pie to Artemis. You know, as you do.

Artemis's eyes light up at this fine offering of meat pie. "Ah, thou hast procured the meat pastry!" she says as she takes it from Cryostatic. "It reminds me so of my home planet, though the meat be much different." She starts nibbling on it.

A mutton-stuffed meat pie has been offered to Artemis. It is a very good meat pie.

"What do you need, Artemis?" inquires Cryostatic.

"I came to see thee about thy odd behavior in training. Thou left most swiftly," Artemis opines between bites.

"Your Beloved offered up a lot of advice," replies Cryostatic.

There is a long pause before Cryostatic adds, "As did the peanut gallery."

Artemis savors her meat pie. "And good advice it was. Thou could not lay a hand on him once in thy match. Mayhaps next time ye should use thy powers." She thinks on the mention of the peanut gallery. "The only other I know of there be the World-killer, and I care not for what advice she may have on such matters."

Cryostatic offers a noncommittal shrug. He may or may not be gobbling a meat pie of his own.

"Mayhaps I should just give up. I wasn't good enough to get a mentor until I started bothering you to teach me. I'm not fast enough to fight an advanced combat robot in straight up fisticuffs. And apparently talking like a guy who feels lucky to just be alive is enough to make me not serious enough to be a super-hero anyhow. Why bother?"

Artemis chews on her meat pie thoughtfully. "Thou speak in terms of defeat against invisible enemies, Squire. Have they pummeled thee so that thou haven't the will to rise up again?"

"That is certifiably untrue, Artemis," replies Cryostatic.

"You watched Wayne beat me like a red-headed step-child with one arm practically tied behind his back. And you listened to him and Madame Doctor Professor World Killer trash talk me afterward."

"Why would one beat a red-headed step-child? That sounds cruel and cowardly. My Beloved would never do such a thing," Artemis disapproves. "But yes, I did watch him defeat thee. And they asked of thy manner of speech, which I did not understand."

"It's a totally retro idiom," replies Cryostatic with a defeated sigh.

"Depending on your source, it could be a mid-twentieth century throw back referring to the idea of housewives cheating with Irish immigrants in various and sundry low wage service positions while their husbands were at work."

Cryostatic sighs and shrugs again. Hanging his head, apparently without any more meat pies to insert into his eternally hungry gullet, Cryostatic pauses before adding, "Or it could be of older vintage, but following similar logic. It's a whole course in Earth history if you really want to dissect it."

Lifting his head to look back over his shoulder at Artemis, Cryostatic continues, "They think I'm immature and stupid for speaking that way. They don't take me seriously. To them, speech is more indicative than action. You're the exception that proves the rule... Perhaps because you're exceptional and alien."

Artemis takes the last bite of her pie and swallows. "Think ye that many Urthians do not think myself a fool and uneducated? Or that I let such things offend me?" she smiles. "I know very little of thy history and culture, and while our languages be similar, there is much divided between them. Urth technology be so primitive that I scarcely know how much of it functions. For this, I am deemed an idiot. A fool. But they will know me by mine actions and honor. Same as they will know thee, Squire."

"Why will they know me? What have I accomplished?"

Cryostatic rolls over backward and to his feet from his perch on the ledge. Standing up tall, Cryostatic - who has yet to use a single "bro" or similar idiom in this entire conversation - only rises to just past Artemis' chest. He tilts his head to look up into her eyes as he plants his hands on his hips.

"What good am I to you, exactly, Artemis? You revel in fights and I'm just barely able to fight my way through mooks and minions while you're literally knocking world-devouring space monsters off their asses. I can't even compete with my sworn enemy, Lightning."

Artemis brings a finger under Cryostatic's chin to inspect him, and lift is head a little higher as she studies his lens-covered eyes. "If I be battling such creatures, what time have I to fight the minions that threaten mortals? Thou can strike swifter than I, and be in more places to keep mortals safe. And with training, if thou be receptive, mayhaps you will be able to stand alongside me in battle against the cruelest of opponents."

"And what if I never can, Artemis?"

Cryostatic turns his head away from the Godflora, jerking his body away in comparative slow motion for him. Electricity faintly crackles across his hair as the Scarfed Speedster powers down. His hair flops down loosely as it loses its golden sheen, resuming its natural chestnut brown coloration.

"What if your Beloved is right? What if I'm better off doing the only thing I've ever really been good at? Maybe I should just go back to Lady Science full-time and stop deluding myself that I'll ever fit in outside of academia?"

"Fit in? Squire, a Guardian is meant to stand out," Artemis chides him. "Thy mind is keener than they realize. Think thee that my Beloved has powers such as thine? Nay, much like his counterpart, he be swift and strikes hard from training. He hath all the knowledge of Starguard's master trainer, Friend Wade. Battle and training be his daily regimen and focus. And helping Squires such as thee hone thy skills is what he does." She reaches to lay a hand on his shoulder if he'll allow, but he's much too fast for her if he avoids her. "Thou art more skilled than thou will admit or can see. Mayhaps the fault was theirs in not taking thee seriously enough due to thy words, but thou were the one who was unwilling to stay and train after being tested of thy current skill level."

"Yeah. Here's the thing."

Cryostatic shrugs his shoulders out from under Artemis' grip. He's easy enough to keep up with at the moment.

"Even if I did use powers other than speed, I wouldn't be able to keep up with him. You trained me really well and I appreciate that, but I'm outclassed. I can't even fake it with super speed against someone who's moving at normal human speeds. I couldn't out think him. I couldn't out move him. I couldn't even lay a hand on him."

Shaking his head, Cryostatic starts walking back toward town. With a sigh, Cryostatic hops up onto the edge of the roof.

"Maybe I just need to be alone right now, Artemis. Maybe I need time to rethink myself and figure out how to take Wayne's pointers seriously. Maybe I'll see you around sometime."

And, just like that, Cryostatic steps over the edge of the roof and walks away.

Artemis realizes she's failed her Squire as she watches him go. Her hand lowers to her side after he shrugs out of her grasp. "I will be there when ye have need of me, Cryostatic," she offers, hoping he can find his confidence on his own somehow.

Hopefully Cryostatic will discover a training montage on his own.

Even Rocky had a montage.