White ballerina shoes stood on tipped toes against a large suit of armor. The pale child in an over-frilled princess gown sniffed at the restrained suit as Marta giggled, hidden inside.
"Mama." The small girl's tone in the one word held the confusion and irritation of a disgruntled senior citizen. She apparently didn't find the elusive game of hide-n-seek nearly as fun as the adults who chuckled at her.
Marta was missing, but for some reason the giant armor in front of her smelled like the blonde. Had it eaten her? How Inconveniencing...
The small girl huffed.
Alphonse squirmed against the chains that bound his limbs.
"Try not to struggle too much around the brat. If you manage to hurt her, we won't be so friendly with you, kid." Greed disclosed, squatting squarely to be on eye level with his involuntary company. "You don't strike me as the type to hurt a kid though. We're similar that way. The names Greed, by the way."
"Greed? One of the seven sins… Are You a homunculus?" The boy asked blatantly, his misplaced childish voice taking a serious tone. The large suit of armor apparantly turned out to be a 13 year old boy. It was a jarring reality, considering the sheer mass of the body he inhabited and the intimidating spikes that adorned its design. He had refused to respond to any of the group's questioning and prodding before that point, so the sin seized the opportunity to strike up a conversation.
Greed smirked, holding his Oroborous marked hand up in view. "Sure am. But don't worry, I don't exactly affiliate myself with my fellow brethren. None of the ones you've encountered so far, at least."
"You don't really seem much better than them." The armor accused, motioning to the restraints tying him to the floor.
Greed laughed, putting his hand up in a light-hearted shrug. "Greed can always be seen as a bad thing kid, but eventually everyone wants something they shouldn't. Trust me."
"I don't think I should." The boyish Armor rejected.
The sin shrugged. "Don't worry, I'm sure I'll grow on you. I tend to do that. Kinda pride myself in being the sociable type. We'll be spending a lot of time together after all."
A tiny hand made its way into Al's vision as the little girl who had grown tired of her curiosity decided to find her own answers. She pulled on his helmet, pulling herself upward to climb the mini mountain. The helmet shifted under her weight.
"Ah! Be careful! It's not secure, you can hurt yourself." The suit warned warily; attention pulled from his daunting circumstances to the oddly colored child.
As if on cue, the girl who ignored the talking can slipped in her footing against his chest, pulling the helmet free with her fall. Greed caught her swiftly and held her up by the back of her dress with a frown. Her limbs dangled against her dress and she narrowed purple eyes at the squeaking armor. Her savior narrowed his eyes at her.
"See? I'm not such a bad guy. I'm an Uncle. Uncles aren't bad." The sin persuaded.
Dolcetto pulled a face. "Uncle?"
"Is she alright?" Marta questioned quickly, leaning foward, pressing her hands against the inside of Al's chest!
"A-ah! Please don't touch that!"
Marta jumped as the childish voice grew loud around her. She quickly pulled her hands away from their settling place against the rough iron. A red circle sat against the inner part of the chest plate. It looked like a simpler version of a transmutation circle, finger painted against the metal.
"What is this?" Marta questioned, but the boy grew quiet again.
Greed quirked an eyebrow, letting the smaller monster at his hip. She squirmed once in the air to no avail before deciding to hover in patience.
Marta lifted a finger to poke at the strange symbol but the armor jerked in protest.
"Please don't! You could kill me!!"
"Kill?" Marta questioned further, withdrawing her finger.
"Can't promise to keep you alive if we don't know what we're dealing with, kid." Greed shrugged as he spoke, seizing the opportunity to push things in his direction. "Give us something to work with, if you don't want us accidentally pressing your self-destruct button."
The boy seemed to go into a contemplative silence. Marta looked around inside of him for other strange markings or clues. Only latches holding the armor shut were found.
"My name is Alphonse." He spoke calmly.
"See? That's a start." Greed encouraged, tossing the little girl to Roa. She blurred through the air. No one flinched, apparently used to their leader sending the babe airborn at a moments notice. She was caught swiftly and the conversations continued.
"Nice to meet you Alphonse. I'm Martel." The compact woman inside his armor responded genuinely. She didnt want to frighten children, but they did have an end goal to reach.
"Nice… to meet you too?" He hesitated, wondering if they were attempting to lull him into a false sense of security. Stockholm syndrome was something his brother would probably steal his helmet for falling into. "The symbol you see inside of me is a blood seal...it's what binds my soul to this body."
"Oh." Marta shifted away from the alchemical symbol with a new sense of fragility.
"So if someone wipes it off…" Greed questioned, disappointment growing.
"I'm unsure really." The boy answered honestly. "But I might die. It's a possibility."
"So he's not immortal after all." Dolcetto concluded from his spot atop a crate.
"We've wasted our time." Roa announced, not necessarily disappointed, but altogether concluding they were done with this phase of Greed's ambition.
"Now, wait a second there big guy." Greed placated. "He's still a step closer to what I'm looking for than I am."
"What you're looking for?" Alphonse questioned curiously.
"Immortality." Marta answered inside.
"That's... impossible." The armor informed.
"Implausible is more appropriate here in my opinion." Greed shrugged, picking at a spot in his teeth. "Besides, who knows how long I can live in this body? Who knows how long you can live in yours? We're on the right track if you ask me."
Alphonse jerked in his seat, rattling the woman inside. "No. I don't want this body! I was never supposed to be like this and you...you're not even supposed to exist!"
"Well that's not very nice." Greed feigned a pout. "Look, Alphonse was it?"
The sin walked close to the chained child and squatted to be eye level with him. He leaned in with an uncomfortable closeness and the aura of dismissing his previous jovial manner. "I just want what I want when I want it… And you happen to have something I want. If you've got a problem then take it up with the human that made me."
Pushing up to his feet again Greed turned to his companions. "Roa, your mallet?"
Dolcetto frowned at his leader. "We can't hurt a kid boss…"
Greed, not intending to harm the boy, but intimidate him answered accordingly. "Well, he's practically a teenager...I think. Does that still count?"
"Yes." Marta answered flatly from behind.
"It dosnt make it a little okay?"
"It dosnt." Roa voiced, with a matching flatness.
"Fine fine. It's not like I particularly want to kill anyone-"
"You killed dante!! You're a monster!" The armour suddenly cried out. Marta groaned inside as he jerked against her restraint. "She's old and you destroyed her home!" Alphonse screamed with the tormented grief of a child who'd seen an innocent old woman ripped from this world. The fear and rage in his words showed how unjust and brutal he felt the people around him were.
It was lost on Greed, who scoffed so hard he had to adjust his glasses. "I wish." Was his only response. "Look kid, I'm prepared to keep you here as long as I need to. You can spill the beans and go home whenever you feel like it. Just remember that."
Greed tossed a hand in the air, heading to the bar steps and motioning for his men to follow. "Marta, hope you're comfortable in there. Looking like it's gonna be a long night."