Aiko - Hello everyone! Welcome to Chapter 3! I hope the few of you who have been reading have enjoyed the story so far. Now, I want all of you to go read Akari's TheNightmare Before Christmas oneshot and pressure her to write more! J
I noticed I've been spelling some names wrong. Kimbley is supposed to be Kimblee and Dorochette is actually just Dorochet (if that's even right). Roa can also be translated as either Roa or Loa. For continuity's sake I'll keep spelling them the same way, unless it really gets on your nerves. If it does, just leave a comment.
Speaking of comments it drives me nuts that I can't see how many people have actually viewed my story. L Comments are all I have to go on, so pleeeaaasssseeeee leave a comment.
Unfortunately, the Envy for '08 campaign didn't catch on, and Envy for '012 just doesn't sound as catchy. XD Happy inauguration, fellow Americans! God wish us well!
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Chapter 3
"Ow ow ow! Quit stepping on me!"
"Then move over!"
"Augh! Roa, you're crushing me!"
"Shut up. They're coming!"
Lies sat there in the shadows of the small alleyway, crowded by Marta, Roa, and Dorochette. She pulled her knees up to her chest to give Roa some leg room, but the others were already getting to their feet. Marta inevitably had to hold the kitten. Lies hated it, Dorochette wanted to eat it (of course, he couldn't help his canine instincts), and Roa just wasn't gentle enough to handle something so fragile. Thus, the snake chimera was maimed by a series of tiny scratches along her arms.
Any moment now, the Elric brothers would be walking by. Lies had found them at a little restaurant about three blocks down, and made sure the four chimeras were in position for when they resumed their search.
"How do I make it meow?" Marta whispered, giving the kitten a squeeze. It let out a whimpering cry.
"That was perfect," Lies said softly, "Just keep doing that."
Marta pinched the cat again, and it let out another desperate plea for help. Suddenly, it turned and caught her thumb in its jaw.
"Augh!" Marta jumped back, causing a domino effect that had Dorochette pinned against the wall.
"Damnit! Get off of me!" he growled, trying to shove Roa away. Just then, they heard footsteps. The four fell silent and quickly slipped back into place. The older brother appeared in the alleyway, hands in his pockets. The suit of armor followed behind. As soon as Alphonse stepped into view, Marta squeezed the kitten.
Nothing.
She squeezed it again and again. The thing made little grunting noises, but refused to meow. The snake chimera gave her comrades a panicked expression. Lies reached over and pressed the animal's sides as hard as she could (without killing it, that is). It made a low, grumbling "Mrrr…" Neither of the brothers noticed. They passed by the alley, unfazed.
"What now?" Roa asked. Lies grunted in frustration. Her plan had been foolproof…well, almost.
"We have to find another alley…" she said.
"No, we need a new plan!" the others argued.
"We're sticking to the old one!"
"It didn't work the first time!"
"That's not our fault!"
"It still didn't work!"
"I don't care!" Lies hissed stubbornly, "Greed put me in charge! We're trying again!"
And so, the four chimeras managed to cram themselves into another even smaller alley. They waited restlessly.
Dorochette sniffed the air, "Here they are."
Sure enough, the Elrics walked into the line of sight. Marta gave the kitten one jerking squeeze. There was a sharp, high-pitched meow. Al stopped short. The chimeras waited. Slowly, the suit of armor sneaked into the narrow passageway. The kitten squealed again.
"Aw," the armor's childish voice echoed as he kneeled down on the ground. "Come on out. It's okay, I won't hurt you."
And then, they struck. With just enough room for a blow of the hammer, Roa knocked Al's helmet clear off his shoulders. Marta jumped headlong into the empty chasm where his body should have been. Al jumped back in bewilderment. His limbs were stiffening, contracting, until he couldn't move.
"Br-brother!" he cried.
"Al!" The short, blonde-haired boy came whipping around the alley. He charged at them, blade drawn from his automail arm. Lies stood ready to fight, knife in hand. Suddenly, she was lurched back, into the air, and drawn inside the suit of armor. She grunted from the pain of her awkward, twisted position.
"Marta! What the hell was that for?!"
"Greed's idea," Marta explained as she straightened the other chimera. "So nothing would happen to you." Lies scoffed. The armor was too small for both of them, especially with Marta's snake-like limbs controlling the arms and legs.
"Get out of me!" Al struggled against her grip.
"Let go of him!" his brother yelled as he ran for them. Dorochette held him off, while Roa cleared an escape path for them. Lies was looking through the cracks in the armor. She got a last glimpse of the frantic older brother before Marta forced Al through the newly made passage. Form there, it was a clean run back to the Devil's Nest.