((For gothtini and I. I’ll start this one up!))

Dusk. It was always the best time of the day on this planet to her. There weren’t many willing to be out any later than they had to be. This particular city was known for it’s rough edges. She had already finished the tasks she had to do to eat and stay alive.. now to find a spot to sleep.

For now though, she sat perched on a stack of crates, watching everyone left out close up shop. Perhaps she’d be able to snag a few apples from one of the unattended stands, it would make a great breakfast for the morning. She bit her lip, brushing some strands of reddish brown hair out of her face, eyes focused on her target as nonchalantly as possible.. waiting for the right moment.

She looked like a normal human, unlike the rest of the town.. just another refugee running from.. well whatever everyone here must be running from. However, unlike the rest of the place.. she didn’t have anywhere to call home. No warm bed, no door to keep her safe, and roof over her head- unless she found an empty building.. which she usually did.

One day, she’d get out of here. It was just taking too long to do. The diner she frequented didn’t always need her help. The owner was nice, but could only spare so much for her.. and she did have to eat still.. savings were scarce.

Artemis slipped down off the crates after every food stand had been covered up for the night. All of the shop owners had gone home and now was her chance. She slipped out of the shadows of the building the crates had been next to and moved for the stands.

She was cautious in every step she took, focus on the fruit stall in the middle. She kept herself aware of her surrounds, not wanting to get jumped by a nearby gang member. Most of the shop owners knew by now that some of the scrappy kids would sneak whatever they could.

She paused at the fruit stand, staring at the two apples that had been placed on top of the cover. Someone had seen her and, instead of raising an alarm.. set the apples out for her. She took the apples, setting a small coin down in its place. She’d have to get to the diner bright and early tomorrow and ask Tom for work.. and she hoped he had it for her.

She looked up from the fruit stand as she heard the noise, startled. That was a new sound to her. She had a moment of panic, standing there with two apples in front of an obviously closed stand. What if that was some sort of patrol?

She bit her lip and slipped down an alley, accidentally running into a tin bin and knocking it over.. which made a very loud noise. Crap. She looked around for a moment before settling on a nearby ladder.. Was that the only way out?

She was fine with people thinking she was human.. but if someone got close and found out what she really looked like.. Well, for some reason it caused a lot of staring and she didn’t want to find out why..

Artemis had put herself on the second floor’s fire escape. She paused, looking down at the woman. Well.. she didn’t sound threatening, nor did she look it. She bit her lip, shoving the apples into her tattered hoodie pocket.

Against her better judgement, she spoke up. “You shouldn’t be out this late.. it’s dangerous.” She felt she should warn the woman.. didn’t want to find her mugged somewhere later.. or worse..

She paused at that. A ship? Should she dare ask? At her second comment she went a bit red, “I was looking for a place to sleep.” She mumbled embarrassedly. Artemis couldn’t figure out why it was embarrassing in the first place to say she had nowhere to go. She didn’t even know this woman. Why would she care?

“Don’t let the patrols find you either..” she said softly. Part of her was screaming to ask the woman to take her anywhere but this planet.. but the other part, the part that had been living on the streets for so long now, kept her from doing so. “Anyway.... I should get back to looking...”

She hesitated again, staring down at the woman. It sounded too good to be true, honestly. Survival mode told her not to trust it, and to go about her business as she always did, but the curious part of her.. “I can’t afford to do that yet..” she eventually said.

Might as well be up front. Most of the travelers that came through were asking way too high a price to take a scrawny street dweller into their personal space. Every time she saved a bit from the little bit of work she could manage to get, she had to spend some on food or.. needed a new piece of clothing.

Friends.. not a word she ever really used. The thought made her a little sad. Anyone she had ever trusted just stabbed her in the back in some way or another. Mostly by waiting for her to be asleep and stealing what she had.

Hesitating again, wondering if it was all just a trap to get her on ground level and then arrest her for something. She slipped down the ladder against her extreme better judgement. “...Alright..”

“Artemis...” she said softly, still hesitant, but taking her hand and shaking it. “Thanks for the offer..” she added in, squirming a little. Now that she was face to face with her, she felt like.. it was ok to trust this woman completely. Unfortunately she still had the nagging what if feeling.. but it was outweighed now by how inviting this new person felt.

She nodded, pulling her hair back into a ponytail as they walked. “Back alleys are better...” she said quietly, not wanting to be seen under street lights..

Once they stopped in another alley near what appeared to be a giant blue box labeled “POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX” she looked around nervously. Had she just been lured into that trap she had dismissed? “...Where is your ship?”