The Seat of the Soul

[Artemis Bane]

"Ahh, so no cake, or ice cream huh? Shame because those are some of my favorite foods." She smiled at him and it was the first time in a long time that she had actually smiled at someone. Or in this case, because of someone. "Chicken..." She took the potion and opened her mouth, sticking out her tongue and dropping one drop onto her tongue before handing it back to him. "Your turn now...You can ask the first question, Aidan." She picked up her coffee and made sure not to get the whipped cream on her nose.

[Aidan Blackwood]

After she'd taken the drop, Aidan followed suit and put a drop on his tongue, "Is it because of your line of work that you don't trust people or is there something more to that?" He asked once he'd set the bottle back down on the table. A shrink-like question, sure, but he was curious. And he didn't want to ask just yet what that line of work was, figuring they'd work their way to that.

[Artemis Bane]

She watched as he took the drop on his tongue as well. She reached for the vial and slid it back into her pocket before listening to the first question he had for her. "It is in part due to my job, yes, the other part is, people are dirty. They are always scheming to find a way to better themselves without thinking about how it may cause harm to the people around them. I too am guilty of this at times. It is why I take people with a grain of salt and don't give up much when I meet them." She shrugged her shoulders. Although for some reason she felt different around Aidan and no, it wasn't because of his line of work. "What made you choose the line of work you are in?" She wanted to know all she could about this man, but she would start simple.

[Aidan Blackwood]

"Because I had wished there had been someone for me when I had reached a point I felt was too far," Aidan said, nodding a bit as he spoke, "I was a Hit Wizard for a time, but the violence and death just made me feel hollow and sick. I went to St. Mungo's to be a healer instead and learned about mental health practices," he explained, shrugging a bit, "Guilty conscious is a part of it as well," he added.

[Artemis Bane]

A hit wizard? Well, that explained quite a bit indeed. It sounded all too familiar except he was on the other end of the spectrum compared to Artemis'. She could understand exactly where he was coming from, but was it too soon to tell him as much? "I see...So you started by bringing dark wizards and witches to what the ministry would consider 'justice' then?" She knew that the law was very different for a lot of people and if they were to find out what she did for a living, no matter how she did it, it would be wrong. "And now you have chosen to, what, help others with their own troubles?" She wasn't sure how to deal with that information yet. Maybe it was a way to deal with his demons as well. To try to right the wrongs he did as well.

She leaned forward and smiled. "I do believe it is your turn."

[Aidan Blackwood]

Aidan raised a brow a bit at her questions, "Those questions feel a bit accusatory," he said, "But yes, I started with doing what I thought was a good thing, decided it wasn't, and chose to try and find a way to do a good thing that didn't involve hurting others," he said, shrugging. He sipped his tea again, thinking of the question he wanted to pose, "From how you phrased it, I'm guessing you deal your own kind of justice. What put you on that path?" he asked, looking up at her, curiosity on his face. He realized the question might come off as judgemental, thus he tried to present on his face and in his body language that it wasn't meant to be, but rather just trying to get to know her.

[Artemis Bane]

She shrugged her shoulders at his bold statement of them being accusatory. "I just call them as I see them." And because she spoke with experience. She thought of herself as the same, vigilantly so to speak. Taking the law into her own hands. "Well, your career change, I suppose is admirable." When his question came up she tried to stop herself from speaking because she knew that the answer wasn't going to be as kind as he was. He got out of it because he was hurting people, she got into it for that reason. She shook her head and sipped on her coffee trying to decide if she even wanted to answer that question. "You won't like the answer to that question...So I am going to opt out and take the punishment for it. You aren't ready for that answer." She looked at him with a serious face and shrugged her shoulders. He would go running into the hills if he knew why she got into it. To be able to read people, to see how far she could push people to their breaking point. Part of it was because of how her father had raised her, to have no emotion, no fear and to learn all she could about people. But she no longer wanted to be that person.

[Aidan Blackwood]

Well that's not fair," Aidan said, raising a brow, "How do you know what I can and cannot handle? You'd be surprised by the lot I've worked with," He said, then hummed as he sipped his tea, "I already know what your punishment is going to be," he smirked, "But I'll save that for the end. It's your turn I believe," he said. He was rather disappointed that she chose to shut him down so quickly, but he imagined there was quite a thick wall put up, protecting herself as much as she thought she was protecting others from herself. It would take time to work that wall down, to show her that it was okay to let someone in, to let someone heal the deeper wounds she was hiding, and something made him want to take the time, to be able to get to where he could help her.

[Artemis Bane]

Fair? He wanted to discuss what was fair and what was not. Perhaps part of the reason she was so quick to shut down the question was because, in a sense, she cared about what he thought. Maybe it really had little to do with the fact that he could turn her in, and more to do with the fact that if he left her here in the cafe alone after he received her answer, it would be a hard slap in the face to Artemis. "You'd be surprised by my answer, nonetheless." She said simply. She could have given him the short answer, her father had been an influence as to why she dealt with justice the way she did. But it would be a form of lying, because he was only a small part of the reason she did what she did. The potion they drank would not allow her to skirt around the details. So, she kept them to herself for now. To be honest, she was kind of excited to see what punishment he had in store for her. It was exhilarating to think that someone else might have to take a bit of control from her. Although, if things got out of hand she knew she could hold her own.

"Alright then, how far into darkness does someone have to go in order for you to consider them 'a lost cause?" It would give her a better understanding as to just how much he could take from her side of things.

[Aidan Blackwood]

"Death," Aidan answered almost right away, "Only once someone has died are they a lost cause unless then they become a ghost, then I still have a chance to help them find some closure... Even those who shut themselves off to the initial idea that they can be saved or redeemed can eventually be guided to a point where they find what they need," he explained, leaning back in his seat, "It just tends to take some more creative methods to help them when they try to shut me out," he smirked.

"My turn," he said before humming a second in thought, "What's a favorite memory?" he asked, figuring it could give him an inside into her inner self if he knew what would be the thing she actually held dear. He wanted to be able to see what he could do to help her, he just felt like there was something there that needed help finding the light.

[Artemis Bane]

She let out a laugh and really looked at him to see if he was serious. When she caught on that he was serious her smile faded. "Ah, so you're that knight in shining armor trying to help everyone." She sighed and shook her head trying to grasp exactly what he was about. Did he really care that much about people, and if so...why? People were cruel, mean and unforgiving. Shut him out...was he referring to her? Perhaps, but she wasn't shutting him out, yet. She was trying to gauge what kind of man he truly was.

Memory...Favorite. She pondered for a moment before speaking. "My favorite memory is of my mother. She used to sing me to sleep at night. She thought it helped me have fewer nightmares and helped me get a full night's rest." She shrugged her shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal but in reality it was. Her mother was the loving figure in her life while her father was the tyrant. "Yeah, that's it." She looked down at her now empty coffee before asking her question. "How would you feel about someone who did the job that you desperately tried to fight against? When you were a hit wizard, you tried to find justice in those that killed....how would you feel about them?"

[Aidan Blackwood]

Aidan smiled softly hearing her answer about her memory and nodded, "That sounds lovely," he murmured before hearing her question. He hummed a little, "That sounds like two questions, but I'll answer to the best of my ability," he said, "There are those who take a kind of pleasure in the pain of others, and those folks need more help than can be given in a short time. Their minds have come to accept pain as a reasonable source of pleasure, and it would take retraining to undo it. Then there are the ones that are doing those kinds of things because of the situations they've been forced into. And in such cases, yes they deserve a bit of punishment for what they've done, many will accept it as atonement, but then they deserve also the chance to be back on the acceptable side of the law," he said, shrugging a little, "That's half of why I quit being a Hit Wizard. We didn't give them the option to repent," he muttered shaking his head, "Anyways."

He sipped his tea as he thought about what question to ask her next, "What do you do to unwind from your work?" he asked. Though he could guess at what she did from her own question, he didn't press that just yet.

[Artemis Bane]

She sat back and listened to his answer. It wasn't...no. That didn't make sense. "What if it's both? What if they were forced into it but took pleasure in it as well?" She took in a deep breath. "You don't have to answer that, it's not my turn. Just...your logic isn't always on point as you think." What about those who used to take pleasure in it but now are stuck doing it because its the only they know, its the only way they how to make money. It pays the bills and people know of them and now seek them out for help. Darkness and lightness alike. She had made better choices as of late, not taking on the dark jobs and only doing it to seek justice but before, it was all about fun and bloodshed. And those that were forced into it, why would they be the ones to be punished and not the ones that did it out of pleasure? It didn't make sense in Artemis' mind.

She laughed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, you could say this. But that would an outright lie." Sure, she was having fun and she did get coffee on occasion to help cope with her lack of sleep but that wasn't what she did to unwind. "Sex." She said simply, not breaking eye contact with him. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't as innocent as it sounded either. She sat up a little straighter and smirked. "Tell me, doctor. Are you an animal in the sheets or are you simply...vanilla." Her darker side was starting to come out and she didn't care anymore.

[Aidan Blackwood]

"When did I ever claim it to be on point?" Aidan smirked, "Everyone's logic has a flaw in it, it's inevitable with human nature," he said, "And it's surprising what a person's mind will do when presented with something they know is wrong and yet necessary," he said, shrugging.

He didn't look away. She certainly was not the first to try and make him uncomfortable with this kind of talk, but his smirk got a bit... mischievous and he put his finger to his lips, "I guess that's going to be the one I take a punishment for," he said, "I don't think you're ready for that," he said, seeming to enjoy turning her words back around, "What are you hoping to learn about me in these questions that you were so willing to use the veritas serum to get it?" he tilted his head.

[Artemis Bane]

She scoffed and shrugged her shoulders. "Valid point. But you seem so confident in your answers." She smirked and leaned back in her chair once more. He wasn't easy to get a rise out of, that was impressive and she rather liked his reactions to her questions as well as her ploy to see just how far he would take it. "I suppose you've seen those sorts of minds." She stated simply. He would not see her mind until she was ready for it, but she wasn't stupid either. She was quite certain he was taking mental notes on her every response, her body language and her reactions.

His eye contact didn't break either, he put his finger to his lips and she knew at that moment he wasn't going to answer her question. She was a bit disappointed but at the same time, he would have to take his punishment afterward. She would not go easy on him either. "Oh, well that's slightly disappointing." She said with a grin. Not ready for what he had to offer in the bedroom? Hm, he was rather mysterious wasn't he? She would've taken him for a very vanilla kind of guy. Perhaps she was wrong.

"Hoping to learn? Honestly, nothing. I'm just bored and don't feel like heading home to an empty house I suppose." Fuck! Vulnerability just came though. Veritas serum was getting the better of her and she had no way to fight it as its affects were strong because she had been the one to brew it. She kept her game face on though and finished her last bit of drink before pondering what to ask him next. "Alright, tell me then, Doctor, what kind of person tickles your fancy?"

[Aidan Blackwood]

Aidan raised a brow at the empty house comment and her trying to keep the game face on. She probably hadn't intended to tell him that bit, but it was what it was. He wouldn't comment on it for now. Then she asked her next question, "That's a loaded question and has a bit of a loaded response," he said.

"Mostly I fancy those who aren't afraid to face their own shadow. Our own natures tend to be the things that scare us the most, and we run from it- pretend we aren't the monster that looks back at us in the mirror. I appreciate someone who can face that monster for what it is," he shrugged, "And people who are so sure they're completely innocent haven't looked deep enough yet and are the first to pretend it doesn't exist. They tend to get on my nerves, honestly," he said before finishing his own coffee.

"And you?" he asked, looking at her. There was more to that answer, but he wasn't lying.

(I bolded him cause the color I have for him is grey and it does not stand out on the dark theme lol)

[Artemis Bane]

She knew that he noticed her comment about her empty home, but that wasn't the struggle. The struggle was when he would use it against her. Artemis was well aware that people collected information and used it against them later. Merlin knows she had done it a time or two. "Well, I am waiting for that loaded response." She grinned and leaned in a little closer to hear his answer.

The answer she got wasn't one she was expecting but it was one she could work with. She wasn't afraid of her shadow, she knew what type of person she was and exactly the kind of monster she was as well. Artemis wasn't afraid of what she was, but she knew that if she stayed on the path she was on, she might fear what she could become. "Ah, a self-assured sort of person than. Seems a bit odd since you work in the field you do. But I can understand not wanting to get with a total nut job either."

She scoffed at the fact that her question just to turn it around on her. "I fancy a strong willed person. Someone who isn't going to run at the slightest bit of trouble. Someone that maybe likes to cause a little trouble now and again." She smiled and took in a deep breath getting serious. "And someone that can put up with me and the kind of work I do." She didn't know exactly how to put it but maybe it was getting closer to the big reveal. "I guess, I just want someone that will love me for me." Love...did she just love?

Her eyes darted around the room before she calmed herself and looked back to him. "Do you prefer county house living or big city living?"

[Aidan Blackwood]

"I spend all day trying to help people face their demons, I'd like to not always have to do so in my free time," Aidan chuckled a little as he gave his explanation, before listening to her answer. He noted her own reaction when she said that last statement. She herself hadn't expected that it seemed. But he didn't bring attention to it. It was a bit too soon to poke at the wounds just because he saw them.

When she asked her next question, he gave a hmmm as he thought about it, "Perhaps a bit of both. That's a cop-out I know, but there are advantages to both. The city keeps you in the loop and has supplies you can't always get out in the country, but the country is needed for when you need to clear your own head and get away from those loops for a while. I'd probably find myself more in the city though. I'd feel too guilty sitting on my hands doing nothing for long," he said, a look in his eyes for a moment that said there was more to that, but it hadn't been asked so he didn't go there.

"You make your job sound quite dangerous. How do you defuse afterward? Surely it isn't coming to coffee shops and challenging psychiatrists to truth or dare," he smirked at her, teasing a bit.

[Artemis Bane]

The serum was working against her in that last answer. But she couldn't take it back, she knew the risks going into this and she chose to work through them. Love...what in the bloody hell would she do with love? She tried to look past it but it was there, rooting itself in her mind. Love...what a funny word.

She perked a brow. "That is a cop-out. but I'll take it. I live in a large manner in the country not too far from the city, but far enough away people can't hear my screams." She laughed it off but there was some truth in it. She often found herself screaming to get out the worries and woes of her life. She wasn't going to expand on that much further, but that was that. She had noticed the look in his eye, she was good at reading people, but he hadn't poked at her love answer so she wasn't going to pursue this, yet.

She scoffed and shook her head. "No, it's not the way I defuse. Usually I go for a run, or as stated before, scream. Also a bit of sex never hurts either. Sort of gets me out of my own head for a moment, if only to return to it after the fact." She was honest and not ashamed of it either. "But mostly I find comfort in my dog."

Her head was spinning as the serum started to wear off. "Ahh...I seem to be running out of questions and the serum is wearing thin as well. One last question each I should say." She dug inside herself to find the perfect question. "What are you most afraid of?"

[Aidan Blackwood]

Aidan considered her response for a moment before she said they had a question each left, "Well, we have a question until the serum runs out, but if that's the requirement for the continuation of the conversation, I understand," he said, shrugging a bit before hearing her question and he took a deep breath, thinking on how to phrase it.

"A lack of absolution. That everything I'm doing to try and find peace, to right the balance of things for.... that it will amount to nothing," he said, putting his hands together on the table, "If your means of defusing from your job is to essentially exhaust yourself, aside from when your dog can help, why do you continue to do that job?" he tilted his head.

[Artemis Bane]

She let out a laugh and shook her head. "Yes, one question of the absolute truth. No, not a requirement for conversation." She didn't want to stop the conversation just because the serum ran out. But she wanted him to be aware that it would be their last with the absolute truth. The conversation was one that was entertaining and relaxing at the same time. It was nice to finally have someone that could hold up a decent conversation.

She nodded in agreement. There was a lot of truth in his answer, obviously, but there was also sadness in it. He was struggling with way of the world almost the same way she was and it was a slap in the face. The question that followed also slapped her in the face. "It pays the bills..." That was the only reason. "It made my father proud...In a way I suppose. I'm not even really doing the job for me anymore. It isn't what it used to be and it's just not...Where I want to go with my life anymore." The reality of it was, she didn't know what she wanted to do, or even who she was without the job defining her.

[Aidan Blackwood]

Aidan could tell the serum was wearing away, had used it more than a few times himself for various purposes, but he still posed a question in response to her answer, "What if you could get a different job?" he asked, "I did just start my clinic, it's just me and Lisa running things at the moment, but there are jobs that even someone with no medical training could do," he offered, "And I wouldn't try to shrink your head on a regular basis unless you asked for it," he added, smirking softly.

"Though that may be overstepping bounds, just thought I'd offer," he shrugged a little before checking his cup and finishing whatever was left in it before setting it down, "I will say this has been an interesting development nonetheless," he chuckled lightly.