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"This is the worst day ever."
Holly's lips quirked upward at Artemis's remark. "That's a little dramatic, don't you think?"
Artemis gestured to the theater behind them distastefully and said, "You've seen the movie. It was awful."
"At least they let you in. That's rare for a human."
"And for what?" He shook his head dismally and added, "You said this was supposed to be an accurate retelling of our first adventure."
"I never said accurate..."
"You were portrayed by a light-skinned teenager," Artemis pressed on. "Opal hid her face the entire time, which we all know she is much too vain to do. I don't even know why she was there. And what was the point of killing off my mother? That didn't even serve any narrative purpose."
Holly held back a giggle. "But that's not the worst part, is it?"
Artemis whirled on her and said exasperatedly, "Why did I say, "I'm a criminal mastermind," when they did not show me commit a single crime onscreen?"
The laughter finally escaped Holly, and she clutched her stomach while Artemis frowned. "I don't know, maybe they thought a criminal protagonist wasn't child friendly enough." She wiped a fake tear from her eye, then smiled and added, "Anyway, shouldn't you be happy? You're finally being portrayed by fairies in a positive light."
Artemis scoffed. "If they wanted to show me as a good guy, they could have chosen a story further down my redemption instead of altering the truth like that."
"Yeah, but it wouldn't have the same magic as our first meeting. Or so they say."
Artemis seemed to calm down as he gazed ahead at the Haven landscape. "I suppose so," he said.
Holl tilted her head. "You're suddenly quiet," she commented. When no response came, she walked around so she stood in front of the human and asked, "Artemis, what are you thinking about?"
Artemis placed his hands in his pockets and averted his eyes. "If the movie had been accurate," he said, "then I would have been the villain of the story. The evil mud person who kidnapped a fairy." In a lower voice, he added, "A monster."
Holly crossed her arms and frowned. "You're not still beating yourself up about that, are you?"
"I tortured you."
"Yeah, and I'm not saying im happy about that, but you've changed, haven't you? And I forgave you a long time ago."
"Still," Artemis replied, "that doesn't change the facts. I was so horrible to you then that the moviemakers had to change the whole story to keep me in a good light."
Holly winced as that sentence set in. It was true. Probably not a good thing for someone who had been through Atlantis Complex.
She sighed and met Artemis's eyes. "Fine, you were pretty horrible to me. But, in a way...the day you kidnapped me was also my best day ever."
Artemis quirked an eyebrow. "You enjoyed getting drugged and held inside a cage?"
"...Okay, so maybe "best day" is a bit of an exaggeration," she admitted. "Still, I'm glad it happened. It meant I got to meet you."
The speechlessness that followed was almost comical. Artemis never did know how to react when faced with validation. "I thought you found me obnoxious," he finally said.
Holly rolled her eyes. "You are obnoxious," she said and punched his arm, "but you're also my friend. And I do enjoy going on world-saving expeditions with you, even if you yourself are annoying."
Artemis rubbed the spot on his arm where she punched him. "I honestly cannot tell whether you are complimenting or insulting me right now."
"Maybe I'm doing both." Her expression softened, and she told him, "You're my friend, and I genuinely like hanging out with you."
There was a moment of hesitation before Artemis asked, "You do?"
"If I didn't, would I have brought you to the theater with me?"
"I don't know. Maybe you wanted to see me suffer."
Holly laughed. "That movie did suck, didn't it?"
"Were you not defending it a minute ago?"
"I was trying to look on the bright side, but sometimes the bright side just isn't bright enough for a heaping mess like that."
Artemis chuckled, and the sound made Holly grin. A small smile settled onto the human boy's lips.
"So, we're friends?" he said. Before the moment could become tender, his smile widened, and he added, "Would you even go so far as to say we're...forever friends?"
Holly groaned, causing Artemis to laugh. Even if it did make Holly punch him in the arm again. It was worth it.
"Fowl and fairy, friends forever," he went on to say. "It does have a nice ring to it. Perhaps I will tell that to Myles and Beckett."
"If you do, I will literally kill you."
"Doubtful. You love me too much to kill me."
Holly scowled at him, but it wasn't long before that expression fizzled away to be replaced by laughter. The friends laughed and leaned on one another as the sim sky darkened above them.
It was a typical Frondsday, seeing the human underground with his elf friend, and maybe that particular Frondsday happened to be the best one for those two.