And from now on to save space, I will reply to reviews if they have a question in them.
WhiteCrow10: LOL. YES. Now that you mention it, it DOES remind me of Izaya! I wonder if they're going to make a second season, since the petition thing is over 10,000 signatures already...
Twilight Traveler: Fixed it, I think~ I'm not a wood expert so let's just settle for wood. Thank you for reviewing~
KuramaMustangElric: I do love Ling and all, but...I think it would create conflict to have them both a pairing and such. I think I'll create a brotherly/sisterly relationship though. Hm, maybe I'll make another story just for Ling, since he's awesome like that. :D AND HE'S THE CUTEST THING EVER.
Cursed Bunny: I'm a stupid perfectionist! /shot. I did it, though~ And I'm adding this new male OC to reveal her family side I guess I could say. Thank you for reviewing~ And fixed it. My bad. Oh and shoot me for saying that too. D:
A/N: (YOU GUIZE. GREED DIED LAST WEEK. OH MY GOD I WAS SO SAD…watching it again) Thank you for all reviews~ God I feel so sad, the FMA: Brotherhood anime ended yesterday. I think I cried. I mean, I watched it already, but...it's still sad it's all over. GOD I HATE IT WHEN GOOD ANIMES END. JUST AHJAHSKSA /foams at mouth
Enjoy the story. I hope it was worth the wait!
I re-watched episode 13 and 14 and I just love the original Greed again. He's visibly funnier and more compassionate than the second Greed, even though they're the same person...well, he's probably more pleasant to be around. Greedling is more of the darker type instead of playful like the first Greed.
FFFF- ALL THESE GREEDS /throws table
Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or FMA: Brotherhood. If I did, Mustang wouldn't have grown a mustache. Or, he would have shaved it off before someone took his picture that faithful credit/slide.
Rapacious
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|I preyed upon the weak, the harmless, the unsuspecting.|
Chapter 2
Eviction
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"Evicted? You're getting evicted? You mean like 'kicked out'?" The spiky-haired homunculus questioned as he sat comfortably in his seat. He was leaning against the table as he was sitting backwards in his seat, giving the female a peculiar look.
With the tall and narrow glass tipped to her lips, she muttered indifferently to her host, "Mhm. It was a client of mine; he's developing into his rebellious phase."
Greed grinned, rows of shark-like teeth exposed, "Ooh, so you have clients? I like the sound of that." To Catalena's chagrin, he even leered at her, beginning to invade that personal bubble.
As soon as she tasted the bitter alcohol, her lips pursed and she dismissed the drink Greed purchased. "You have vulgar taste…"
"So I've been told~" Greed hummed, facing front wards again to observe his 'possessions' mingle within the large pub called Devil's Nest. Catalena would have inquired about the origins of the name, but she would probably forget, as it wouldn't benefit her later on.
Her gray eyes represented stink eye, "I meant the drink."
"Oh, I know what you meant." Purplish eyes peered out at her, and a crooked chuckle seethed through his grinning teeth. "You're the one who's assuming I'm thinking about that sort of stuff."
Sparing him a few more moments of stink eye, her irises soon rolled, finding interest in the wall beside her, "…Ignoring that…I'm going to have to consider your offer."
"Whoa, seriously?" The feeling of excitement lit in his toned face. "You wouldn't mind staying at a pub full of human chimeras?"
"The apartment wasn't much better—especially since the military is going to be keeping an eye on it. So, yeah, but again, it's just business. Nothing personal."
Greed's grin shifted into a disappointed frown, "Well, that's no fun. I prefer my business relationships to have a little spice in them, y'know?"
She watched the ice in her unwanted drink clink against each other as they floated. "…You're a pretty vulgar guy, too…"
"Huh?"
Catalena's flat expression twisted into a smirk, and she craned her neck at Greed to show this, "I said if you're lucky, maybe this business relationship could get personal. But I'm not too sure about what Cain would think if he saw I was getting touchy with my clients."
Greed's carefree and temporarily benevolent smile suddenly turned flat.
"Who's 'Cain' ?"
Earlier that day (Afternoon)
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"Sergeant Major Cain Ashford?"
The neat-haired young man turned to the source of the voice, realizing it to be his commanding officer, "Captain." Cain ushered a quick salute, which was promptly returned.
"At ease. I've got a job for you, son." From his blue military regalia, the senior officer revealed a pamphlet towards the black-haired young man. Once it was in his own hands, glancing at it, he was stupefied.
"What is it?" He flipped through a few pages of the pamphlet, finding it to be nothing more but an atlas-sort of book with the addresses of residents living in Dublith labeled.
"We received a case about a sleazy old man who's supposedly being forced to pay rent for a young woman. He claims she's blackmailing him." As Cain began flipping through the pages much more slowly, the older man added, "If you continue a few more pages, I have the address underlined."
Pretty soon he found it, and Cain couldn't help but notice it seemed vaguely familiar. "…I see it, Sir. So you want me to keep a close eye on this apartment building and interrogate any local residents?"
"That would be the smart thing to do. Once you're sure you've found the culprit, report back to me and I'll have a squad ready for your orders."
Cain closed the booklet, shoving it into his State Military uniform. He gave another salute to his officer, "I'll have this case resolved soon, Sir."
"Good. I'm sure you're very capable of the task. Try not to shoot anyone out of instinct. I don't want to be held responsible for another civilian's injuries." He spun around, heading in the direction in which he came.
"T-That was one time, Sir!" Cain's response was sort of a childish whine, and to add to that effect he even stuttered.
His superior officer didn't attempt arguing with his subordinate, instead disappearing as he turned a corner. Cain himself smiled subtlety as he returned to his original track: home.
He would work on the case the following morning.
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Besides the rest of the messy confines of the apartment, there was a single lamp lit in a cramped room. That room was filled with papers, filing cabinets, and then a woman throwing pens into a trash bin as if she were bored or something similar.
The ballpoint, plastic pens hopped into and against the frame of the disposable bin, most of them scattered along the floor. Catalena herself was slumped over in her seat, resting her head against her hand with an apathetic look on her face as she played hoops with writing utensils. She didn't bother even trying to get them in there.
In the midst of her improvised game, she heard a male shout from the exterior of the building. Catalena brushed it off, as she had already figured out just who was screaming.
Aiming another pen, she counted quietly to herself, "In 3…2…1…"
The sound of a door slamming open and closed attracted her, and the thunk thunk of the pens hitting metal finally ceased. The woman looked up from her desk, configuring the silhouette standing rather heatedly in her office doorway.
What a surprise; it's him.
"Oh. Well hello." She greeted almost flippantly as she readied to toss another pen.
Cain charged through the grounded papers and pens, reaching her desk and then slamming the series of sheets on her desk. She was now staring at it intently, as Cain himself radiated vibes of annoyance.
She whistled an elongated tune of satisfaction. All the while flipping through the pamphlet of addresses, "So this is the address book of the residents of Dublith; it's even labeled? Did I miss my own birthday?"
"Dumbass, " he hissed through clenched teeth, his hand covering the blocks presented on the pages, "I just got a job that required me to find some shady woman forcing a poor senile old man to pay her rent. And when I come home, I realize the address of the culprit is the very same as the one I live in!"
She smirked, brushing away the male's hand as she began to search for addresses that actually interested her, "Aren't you happy I didn't fill in your address that day you wanted me to sign your personal papers? Or else you'd be the criminal mastermind behind this." Her eyes sparkled in spite once they caught a particular address. "Oh, but we both know Cain isn't the brainy type…"
"SHUT UP. You didn't sign my papers…?" His jaw slightly dropped.
"So what did you think when you found out the addresses were the same?"
"I found out my childhood friend breaks the law behind my back." Cain grit his teeth together, leaning both hands against the wooden desk.
"I'm not a criminal; it's just business." Becoming bored of the subject, Catalena threw another pen as if it was a dart at the trashcan.
"It's business forcing a poor old man to pay our rent? Couldn't you at least get an apartment that smells nice?" Cain snatched the cup of pens off of her desk, dissuading her from playing with them anymore.
Unfortunately for Cain, Catalena had a drawer of them. Using one of the pens already stationed at her desk, she began writing an address on her palm, "You haven't heard both sides of the story, Cain. That guy was a client of mine."
"Client?" He was all ears for once. She had to use the time wisely before he starts yelling again.
Using her propped elbows, she slid a slip of paper for his eyes to be able to see. It read it bold print: YOU ARE BEING EVICTED DUE TO LACK OF PAYMENT OF RENT.
Her fingers entwined with one another, and she rested her chin on her folded hands, "His name's Joseph. He had this huge debt with loan sharks and lacked the money to pay them back. Being an information broker and all, I provided him with unofficial people who could get him the cash, but Joseph was too frightened to dwell within the underworld anymore. So I just paid his debt for him and all he had to do was pay our rent under his name...which he failed."
"…What do you do at home when I'm not around?"
She smirked, launching another pen at the bin, "Oh, nothing. But have you ever heard the idiom 'idle hands are the devil's tools'?"
"But somehow you remain inconspicuous throughout whatever turmoil you cause."
"I don't cause turmoil. It finds its way towards me, and I simply point it in the more interesting direction…"
"You mean like instigating?"
"That's a very interesting word, Cain. Where did you learn that kind of vocabulary?" She teased, the corners of her lips twisting into a smile.
Catalena and Cain have known each other since childhood. Cain wasn't naturally the brainy type and Catalena was always the elusive. Since before their early twenties, they were used to each other's constant poking, teasing, and bickering. After all, what family doesn't have a little conflict every now and again? It was just that these two friends had pointless arguments every day.
His face grew flustered at her harsh words.
"But putting aside all of this, I ask that you remain falsely vigilant. Keep your stupid military associates from getting involved in this mess, and I will have it cleaned up in no time. Though I recommend we stay away from this place until this blows over..."
He raised an eyebrow, not really content with the idea of shirking from his duty. Hell, he didn't care what Catalena said; he was sure she should have been under the criminal category. She does business in the Amestrian underworld for crying out loud. And exactly what place would she make them live in this time? A box?
Her gaze locked on him with a benevolent stare as she rose from her seat. "I always cleaned up messes you got yourself into when we were little, right?" She looked rather cute in any other person's opinion.
Cain however, saw right through her façade, "Telling my mother the neighbor kid broke the window isn't the liable way to solve problems. It's pinning the blame on someone else."
She slipped past him, exiting through the door, "Hey, better him than you, right? I'm off to buy more milk to satisfy your needs. Pack up and see you later."
His hazel eyes glistened momentarily at the thought of fresh, cold milk washing down his throat. It was the reason why Cain was tall, of course.
(Present time / Night)
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"Childhood friend?" Greed groaned, burying his head in his arms on the table. Catalena questioned if he had had too many drinks, but she was pretty sure homunculi don't get drunk so easily—especially not Greed, who probably spent all of his time loitering in pubs.
Observing his rather sullen position, she looked amused. This was a face of Greed she hadn't seen before, "Are you jealous or something? I thought you were supposed to personify greed. Don't gloom over one possession you can't get your hands on." She scoffed at him.
His head lifted and those sharp, sadistic-like features caused her to sit up straight in her seat. "Oh, but kitten, that's exactly what makes me want it more! Something that I can't have…that's still greed, right there!" He laughed heartily, and even his subordinates were curious to glance at what was funny.
Catalena stared emotionlessly at him as he muttered something else similar on the lines.
"I want everything, remember?"
"I thought we were talking about me, but now we're talking about you and your avarice."
Greed changed the subject entirely, "Kitten, I just thought I'd let you know that I'm not too fond of this Cain brat."
"He's 25."
"Whatever. I just want to warn you that we won't be so chummy, got it?"
She folded her arms in front of her, listening to both Greed's voice and the voices of the people around her, "I don't expect you to. But I'm going to warn you that Cain has the ability to turn you into the military, and I won't be able to stop him. So don't piss him off, all right? He's already sensitive and hot-headed as it is."
Sensitive? Hot-headed? Now that doesn't sound plausible towards the type of guy Catalena would feel comfortable with. This guy must have some insane charm or something.
Heh. Screw that. No one has more charm than Greed.
He doesn't get women to swoon for him.
Women swoon because of him.
"Don't worry about me, kitten. Everyone loves me around these parts."
"I'm feeling the love already."
"So tell me about this eviction problem of yours…what're you gonna do about it?"
Catalena stared at the bartender counter, her pupils following each intricate swirl of the mahogany wood. It was true that she had promised Cain that she would be able to handle their little problem, and even though she had already devised a plan to fix it, she wasn't entirely sure how it would all play out. Though there was one thing she was certain about.
"Shoot the bitch."
Earlier that day (Evening)
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In one hand she bore a brown paper bag of groceries (Cain's favorite brand of milk) and in the other her gray eyes were scanning through her old clients' phone numbers. Catalena was obviously searching for the middle aged good-for-nothing Joseph's, so that she could question him on the eviction matter.
In the middle of her late afternoon stroll, the woman stopped by a phone booth. By then she had already located Joseph's old phone number, and if he had changed it, (Which would be the logical thing to do) she would race to the end of the world just to find the amended one.
After slipping a few cens into the phone change system, she punched in the numbers and pressed the phone to her face, listening to the sound of the dial tone.
~"…H-Hello?"
Catalena smirked as she instantly recognized the fear that lined this man's vocals. Just as afraid as he was back three years ago when he begged her for help, "…Hellloooo~ Is this Joseph Warner?"
~"Who is this?" The voice demanded instantly. Anticipating that he was probably about to hang up on her, Catalena went straight to the point.
Glancing at the groceries sitting by the door she replied to the man, "It's your old friend, Miss Artenie. I kept those loan sharks from putting a hit on you, remember?"
~"…"
"I believe you recall the conditions of that agreement. So long as I live in that apartment, you are obligated to continue to pay the rent under your name. Isn't that correct, sir? Or will I have to take matters into my own hands?"
~"M-Miss Artenie. I'm sorry, but I'm in a bind right now. Money isn't easy to come by…"
"Why would you agree to something you can't hold your word to?" She questioned, looking serious as she stared through the clear surface of the inner phone booth.
There was neither an answer nor a sign of it.
"…Right. I see the subject is sensitive to you. But why bring the State Military into this? Do you honestly hold a grudge over me?" She grinned from her end of the line, "…Do you want to make an enemy of me, too? The only person whose actually attempted to help you?"
~"It's the only way I can get any sort of income…by framing you, hopefully I can get a grant." Poor thing. He must be shaking out of his shoes speaking such words to her. But why more money? What in the world does he even do with all this damn money?
"Ah, so every man for himself, then, Mr. Warner?"
~"…I'm afraid so. If you're as smart as you make yourself out to be, you'd escape out of there before the military gets to you."
"Don't worry about me, Mr. Warner. I'll be fine. How about you? How's life? Your wife…?" Catalena spoke casually, despite that the man was actually endangering her own life.
~"…"
"You two still seeing each other?"
~"You stay the hell out of my life!"
The man hung up.
She listened to the buzz of the dial tone before heaving a sigh, placing the public phone properly back on the receiver before grabbing her bags from the doorway. Fixing her blue v-neck sweater as she exited, the woman's thoughts remained untroubled as she took her few steps out into the street. It was sunset already, and she had to get home before the milk got warm.
Once she neared an eerie looking alleyway, however, the irregular placement of a gray-looking tail caught her attention.
As she drew nearer to it, Catalena couldn't help but peer curiously as it twitched slightly. Raising an eyebrow, she tiptoed towards it; once getting close enough, her black flats hovered along the brunt of it. The sole of her shoe clamped down like a gator's jaw.
"OWWWWW! That really hurt!" A male-sounding shriek, and a very meek one at that sounded.
The owner of the tail slipped away and a very stout face finally peeked out from the shadows at her. She was looking at an unfamiliar face (But something about the scales that framed it seemed memorable). Conversely, the almost inhuman being grinned quite happily, "Miss Artenie, right? Right? You've been helping Mr. Greed!"
At the sudden mention of the homunculus, this lizard-like thing had her full attention, "…Greed's a friend of yours?"
The short scaly "human" seemed all too happy about the subject, "Oh, yes! Yes, very much so! Mr. Greed and I have been friends for quite some time now! There are also others like me—they're—"
"I thought that the crude homunculus would be the type to make friends with sewer mutants." Catalena face palmed, shaking her head scornfully but not actually feeling spiteful about it. She looked almost solemn as her next words came out, "…I almost thought he was a popular guy the way he flaunts around like he owns the damn world."
The lizard human fidgeted his fingers together, unnerved by Catalena's mockery of his friend/master. "Mi-mister Greed isn't a bad guy at all…"
Lowering her head down at the somber-looking expression etched on his face, Catalena felt a little pitiful. All right, so maybe—MAYBE Greed wasn't just an obnoxious, avaricious, rapidly increasing egotistical guy after all. Hell, she probably was just as sinful as he was. Who was she to judge him?
"Yeah, I guess I agree. I guess you can say I look forward to his weekly visits; though only because he pays a rather adequate sum of cens for my services." Holding the paper bag in one hand, she stroked her chin sinisterly with the other.
Now the guy in front of her didn't know what the Stone Greed did with Miss Artenie, and for some reason he wasn't curious anymore. Since Greed had always preferred beautiful woman by his side when they were at the Devil's Nest, maybe he wanted a more colorful and restrained woman who played by the rules when he was by himself.
But Catalena didn't mind breaking the rules to make the game a little more fun. Doing the same thing repeatedly isn't ever appealing.
"So what did you want, what's-your-face?"
"I-It's Bido! And Mr. Greed actually sent me off to look for you…" Bido peeked in between her legs and to the sides of them. He was cautious of people with wandering eyes.
Noticing his precautions, Catalena casually strode off into the alleyway Bido was hiding in. The shadows of the adjacent buildings towered over their miniature figures as the sun was finishing its set.
"…So, Bido. Is Mr. Greed requesting my appearance because he wants to get on my good side or something?" They walked side-by-side leisurely.
"Mr. Greed wants to make sure you're okay, because he knows about your problem." Bido had a smile on his face for some reason.
His smile was contagious. "…Is he stalking me or something? So he knows about the eviction ordeal?"
Bido stopped to gape at her, "E-eviction? You're getting evicted, Miss Artenie?"
"I'll take that as a no. But he probably was still stalking me…"
(Present time / Night )
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"I have better things to do than follow you in suit, kitten. Busy guy like me, doing underworldly business everywhere…" Greed smirked. The two had moved their conversation to a surprisingly lavish red couch. Greed was sort of hogging the brunt of the couch, and Catalena was seated cross-legged over one of its arms, purposely avoiding his own draped arms.
There were wandering eyes from his gang of chimera, but they were notably civilized and good mannered, "How else would you know?"
Greed grinned at her, the rim of his round glasses sliding off his nose as he leaned forward. He caught the sunglasses with one hand while his other hand's index finger pointed skyward, "That lizard chimera you were with? Bido—he's good at climbing walls. The rest of it was just a shot in the dark."
A red tint grew on her cheeks. He could scale walls? Just think of all the things Bido was capable of! Then again, he didn't seem a very perverted type of person/chimera to start with. "…So you have been stalking me."
"Stalking lacks class. So I have my possessions do it for me."
Possessions? So that's what he thought of them?
"That's an interesting way of putting it. Unlike pawns, you don't smile if they're killed, huh?" A test—that was what her question was.
"Of course not, kitten." Greed grunted as he lifted himself off of the couch, exercising his stiff legs. He folded his arms behind him and yawned before letting them fall limply again. Craning his neck to catch a glimpse of her flat expression he grinned again, "But killing my possessions is just the fancy way of saying 'taking away from me'. Which is the same as stealing. And I don't like people stealing my things."
Her thin neck rested on the arm of the couch, still locking a diligent gaze with the homunculus, "Sounds logical. I like the way you think, Greed."
The black-haired man standing before her smiled, and gestured towards himself as he offered, "So, you want to get rid of this old man, right? Do you need some help? I'm already a wanted criminal—being an artificially created human and all. It'll be no big deal for me to run in and stab him a few times 'till he stops moving."
"No," the woman quickly objected, "I won't risk you getting compromised. "
Greed held his waist, whistling in satisfaction, "Whoo, so you really do care about me, eh, kitten?"
"Nothing of the sort. It's just bad on my record if my client was killed because of my own personal matters." She closed her eyes, fighting off sleep as she spread her legs on the couch.
It was quiet for a few moments. Catalena almost thought he tiptoed out of the room (All of the other chimera had departed already). Then the cushions of the couch sunk and she looked over her shoulder to see Greed seating himself against her folded legs.
Even though he was just sitting there so closely to her and looking narrowly innocent, she couldn't help but feel suspicious of his convoluted shark-like grin. Greed was avaricious—he had the desire for the finer things in life. That of which did not just involve money or other riches. She could expect the unexpected from him.
"Kitten, I told you about an hour ago."
Thoughts of Cain's milk getting spoiled suddenly popped in her mind.
"Business relationships are more interesting when you add a little spice in them."
Catalena sighed, looking away from his almost alluring gaze. She recalled giving Greed hope about a friendship sort of personal deal, but nothing any deeper than that. What was he, like 200 years old? She was only 22. She wasn't a math whiz, but that was a rather large gap.
Relationships weren't really her thing. If they were, she probably would have married Cain already. Who else would she devote the rest of her life to besides the person she had spent most of it with?
There was always the possibility that Greed would just be using her to sate his avarice. Now she didn't want a relationship like that, especially since she only knew the fool for about half a year. It was exchange, exchange, exchange in service and cash and nothing else. Now suddenly he wants to push himself into her life.
It all seemed impossible to her.
"Sounds unrealistic." She finally replied to him, closing her eyes as she buried her face in her arms against the couch's edge.
Greed had sounded an amused chuckle and then nothing else. Just as she was nearing sleep, he added subtlety,
"Nothing is impossible."
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A/N: Hope you all enjoyed it. I'll see you all in a week again~ Thank you for your feedback and reviews~ Just in case it's causing confusion and anyone hasn't picked it up, Cain is part of the military and Catalena is not. She's an info broker, but it doesn't necessarily mean she's a criminal. Hell, sometimes cops have to work with people like her to get some juicy info. Catalena is still an alchemist, but it isn't revealed what she is specialized in~
Thank you for reading and review~ Oh and Cain isn't an alchemist. He's a just real good shot with guns and he's got pecs. Points for being normal! :D