A little note to my friends: remember to check back here once in a while when we no longer have the notebook to pass around so that you can see if anyone's written anymore. Email your entries to me and I'll put them up. --Maylan
Maylan: "Great!" Hughes said jubilantly.
He turned and began walking out onto the street. He led the three of them all the way to the Central City military headquarters, chatting amiably to no one in particular about his beautiful daughter Elysia the whole way. They were met at the front gates by two soldiers who saluted smartly as they passed. Hughes led them through countless corridors and staircases, winding and twisting. Military personnel were seen almost everywhere, down every hallway, behind every door, and near every staircase. Aubrian ignored them all. Once, they had to stop a few minutes for Lieutenant Hawkeye, who had to discuss some issues with Hughes. The girl was forced to wait impatiently as they talked.
When Hughes finally knocked on the door of Mustang's office, the answer came almost immediately, and he gestured for them to enter. The room wasn't the most lavishly furnished in the city, but it was a comfortable environment to work in. Against one wall stood a couple of bookshelves with tomes and volumes neatly organized within. On the opposite wall sat a couple of armchairs flanked by potted plants for anyone who had to wait on anything. The far wall donned a large window separated into four squares by metal bars. In front of that sat a large desk piled with papers, Behind the desk sat Mustang in a leather, high backed chair; working on some kind of report. He looked up as the four of them entered and leaned back in his chair.
"Ah. Hughes. You brought Sniper and a few others, I see."
Hughes nodded cheerfully. "Yup. I thought it might be a good idea to bring them along."
"I thank you. I'd wanted to see them also." Mustang gestured to some chairs in front of his desk. "Have a seat."
Aubrian remained standing, her arms crossed impatiently and her eyes burning with hatred.
Bast: Marth was the first to sit down. He curiously looked around the room.
Zephyr: Draoi sat down, smiling and humming to herself once again.
Maylan: Hughes sat down in a chair by the door and began listening intently.
Mustang looked over at Aubrian, who continued to seethe. "You still refuse to be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel?"
"I already told you! I didn't become a State Alchemist to play your dumb military games!"
Mustang shrugged. "Fine by me." He looked over at Marth and Draoi. "I sent both of you a letter of promotion, also, recently. Did you receive them?"
Bast: "Uhhh...I'm not sure," he said as he looked in Mustang's direction, then to Draoi's.
Zephyr: Draoi pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket. "You mean this?"
Maylan: Mustang nodded. "I'll need a written reply as soon as possible. Since Sniper, here, is directly guided by me, I only needed to ask her in person. You already heard her reply."
"Can you just get to the point!" Aubrian said. "You didn't have the Lieutenant Colonel drag me all the way here to talk about promotions!"
Mustang gazed at her wordlessly for a moment. "True." He leaned his elbows upon his desk and placed his chin on his hands." I need your assistance on a dangerous matter. If you haven't heard yet, a powerful killer is on the loose in the streets of Central City. He targets only State Alchemists, and he kills without regret. We don't know of a motive as of yet, and we don't even have a name. He's simply dubbed Scar by the military because of a strange scar on his forehead." He paused for a brief moment."I'm putting together a special group of Alchemists to catch him."
"And you expect me to be part of it?" Aubrian interrupted.
"You have your duties as a State Alchemist as well," Mustang said sternly. "Your personal problems do not come before your duties to your country."
Aubrian said nothing.
The Colonel turned to Marth and Draoi. "Are the two of you okay with this? Scar is very dangerous. Last night, he had killed Brigader General Grahn, the Iron Blood Alchemist. We've been trying to keep his death a secret from the public. Scar is a madman that needs to be stopped. Are you up to it?"
Bast: Marth remembered the bandits that dreadful night.
"Definitely," he responded with a confident look on his face," I also accept the promotion."
Zephyr: Draoi nodded, suddenly very serious. "I accept my promotion as well. I will become a part of this group."
Maylan: Mustang's eyes turned on Aubrian. The girl looked away stubbornly.
"It looks like I won't have a choice."
Mustang leaned back in his chair. "Good. I'll relay all the information you'll need through Sniper. You three have to work together to catch him. He's crafty, and you'll need to be craftier. Use all the tricks you know. But be warned. He can blow you to pieces from the inside out."
"Can we just kill him?" Aubrian said.
The Colonel started at her. "You can in only the most extreme situation. We'd like to interrogate him alive if possible." He turned back to the entire group. "Do not let anyone else know of this. For now, you can return to your work."
Aubrian immediately started for the door.
"Sniper"
She stopped.
"I want to speak with you for a minute."
Hughes stood up from his chair with a salute.
"Lieutenant Colonel, you can stay as well. The rest of you may leave."
Bast: Marth opened his mouth to say something, but closed it soon afterward. He stood up, gave a salute, and left the room.
Zephyr: Draoi saluted and exited after Marth. As soon as the door shut behind her, she pressed her ear against it, hoping to hear the conversation. She look over at Marth and said," Oh, come on! Don't give me that look! You want to know what they're talking about as much as I do."
Bast: Marth leaned on the door and listened as well. There was shouting being heard.
Maylan: "You still insist on searching for him?" Mustang asked.
"Of course," Aubrian replied flatly.
The Colonel shook his head. "You do realize that you'll be arrested and tried for murder if you do what you intend once you find him."
"I already know that. I don't care. He'll pay for what he did no matter what." Aubrian turned and headed out the door. When she met Marth and Draoi's faces outside, she stared at them for a brief moment before disappearing down the hall.
"If you don't mind me asking, sir," Hughes said, striding slowly to the Colonel's desk," why do you let her continue searching for him if you know she'll be committing a crime once she does?"
"There's another reason why I wanted Aubrian in the group," Mustang replied. "I'm hoping she comes to her senses before she finds him. I'm hoping she'll befriend these two and let them help her come to her senses."
Then, there was nothing else to say.
Bast: Marth looked towards Draoi. He was confused from what just happened.
"Guess we start our quest, eh?"
Marth ran down the hall to catch up with Aubrian.
Zephyr: It took Draoi a few seconds to come out of her daze. She shook her head and stared at the disappearing figures that were Marth and Aubrian. "Hey! Wait up!" she called before taking off down the hall.
Maylan: Aubrian strode speedily through the building and outside without a word or a look back. She was pretty sure Marth and Draoi had heard their conversation, but she didn't care. It would be their problem if they chose to get in her way, and she would take down anyone who tried. She pushed through the doors and continued across the parade grounds to the front gates. Then, she turned and headed back towards the Grand Central Library.
Bast: Marth came out of the gates and looked for Aubrian. She was heading for the Libray.
'Now what is she doing?'
He continued to catch up with her.
Zephyr: Draoi stopped at the gates panting. She looked at the far away figures of Marth and Aubrian. "Stupid...fast...people," she said between breaths. "I said wait up!" Draoi shouted before chasing them again.
Maylan: "The Colonel said you could go back to work!" Aubrian stated irritably, loud enough for them to hear. "You don't have to follow me!"
Bast: "But we have a job to do! We need to stick together," he yelled.
Zephyr: "I agree with Water Boy here," said Draoi, who had finally caught up to Marth.
Maylan: Aubrian stopped rather abruptly and turned around on her heel to glare at them. "Then you two stick together and leave me alone!" She turned back around and continued down the sidewalk at her fast pace.
Bast: Marth started to slow down. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and stared into the distance.
'What are we going to do about her?' he thought.
Zephyr: "Wow. She really doesn't like us," Draoi said stopping next to Marth, "I bet once she gets to know us, she'll warm right up!" But even as she said that, she knew the chances for that were slim.
Maylan: Aubrian stepped back into the cool interior of the Library, pausing just inside as the double doors closed behind her to gaze around at the large room. Those nearby looked up to see who had entered, then returned to their business. But as Aubrian proceeded back to her unorganized table, she could feel their eyes upon her. All of the people within the Grand Central Library were State Alchemists, for they alone had access to its countless tomes and references. She cared for none of them, sitting herself back down and pulling a sheet of recent train passengers in front of her.
Bast: Marth was at the LIbrary's doors. He was about to go in but, instead, he decided to sit on the steps to wait for Aubrian. Out of boredom, he toyed around with his flask of water. It hung from his belt hidden by his coat. He always had water inside it just in case there was no trace of water to be found.
He unscrewed the cap and clapped his hands together. Water came flowing out of the flask. It seemed endless.
He made the water spiral around his right hand, made the water form into objects, and froze it into crystals of all sizes. He made the water flow back into the flask, screwed the cap back on, and sighed.
Zephyr: Draoi sat down next to Marth. She had just seen him practice his alchemy and knew he was talented. She decided to see what she had to use with her powers. Draoi drew a small pouch from one of her pockets and spilled the contents into her hand. There were seeds of every size and shape in the hand. "Not that many left," Draoi thought.
Bast: Marth looked towards Draoi's open palm full of different colored seeds. He
remembered she was the Rose Alchemist.
"Can you make them grow?" Marth asked her. He wanted to make time go by
while waiting for Aubrian.