Each individual chapter will have a different rating, different pairings, different spoilers, and a different setting and timeline. Multiple people were involved in writing this fic, I do not claim to have written anything other than my own characters. I do however claim to have come up with the plot, story idea, and organizing it all. The others who write characters in this fic are well aware that I am posting it, and contribute willingly. This fic is an ongoing project with an unknown number of parts, with alternate storyline as of the fifth laboratory incident. Enjoy!
Notes for this chapter: Serious plot begins here!
Deceit Comes Knocking
Rating: PG-13/R (For language, mostly)
Pairings: GreedxChimeras, one sided KimbleyxGreed
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.
Spoilers: None.
Setting: Devil's Nest/Dublith.
Timeline: Not long after Ed went splodey.
Try as he might, Kimbley couldn't get back to sleep. Not because of the light, and not because of the pain, but moreso because he'd been sleeping the past several hours anyway.
He groaned and sat up finally, giving up on ever getting back to sleep before it was night again. He stretched, head feeling a bit better, the steady breaths from the couch told him Martel must have gotten to sleep, so he did the next thing he could think of aside from randomly blowing her up, and grabbed himself a bottle of something, pulling out the cork and sniffing it first to see if it was any good.
Martel's attempt to sleep wasn't going very well. The anxiety (despite her exhaustion) was keeping her as awake as if she'd drank twenty cups of coffee. She shut her eyes tight, rubbing them a little and lifting the pillow off her head. She glanced over to Kimbley, and said cautiously, "If I took sleeping pills with the asprin and the alcohol, you don't think I'd die or anything, right?"
Kimbley nearly jumped off the bar, barely catching the bottle in hand before it dropped. "Thought you were asleep...che...hell if I know..."
The chimera sighed, and stood shakily. "It's worth a try then, I guess. If I die, you're not included in the will." Her path to the bar was less than straight, and she rifled through their mini-pharmacy under the counter. Finding the bottle, she blinked. There were no pills inside, but what appeared to be a rolled up sheet of paper. Shaking it loose into her palm, she unraveled it and peered at the scrawled words. "Took the last ones, please buy more. Dorochet," she read aloud. "God dammit..." she growled. "Stupid dog."
"Why the hell does he need sleeping pills...dogs are supposed to be lazy..." The Crimson Alchemist took a swig from the bottle, thinking for really less than a moment that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to get drunk while having a hangover...
"I have no idea. He's supposed to walk around in a circle and then he falls asleep, right?" Martel sighed, setting the bottle down and muttering, "Of course not, he has to make things difficult." She ran a hand over her hair, and looked over at Kimbley. Kimbley drinking. She blinked, then rolled her eyes. "You're a fucking moron. It's your problem this time, not mine."
"Che...who cares...it dulls the pain better than painkillers, and a hell of a lot faster anyway..." Kimbley waved a hand nonchalantly.
"You're just going to get -- no, nevermind. It's your fault," the serpentine woman muttered, half to herself, shrugging and shaking her head. Coffee. She needed coffee. And decaf.
Greed pushed through the door, entering the bar like he owned the place. Ah, that's right--he did.
He flopped down on one of the couches, propping his feet up heavily on the low table in front of him. "Ah...good to be home." He turned to smirk at his two subordinates, "did you miss me?"
"And this is different from any other day in that...?" Kimbley sat the bottle down on the counter and gold eyes stared at Martel. Looks like he's got his jackass personality back...and then Greed walked in, and gold eyes were focused on the Homunculus almost scrutinizingly as he stared in silence.
Greed arched an eyebrow at Kimbley's silent appraisel. "I'll take that silence as a 'yes, yes, more than anything, Greed my master'" he smirked nastily, crossing one booted foot over the other.
"Tch...can't be too careful...we had an imposter in here last night...that damn Envy guy...dunno why the hell he was here..." Kimbley waved a hand dismissively as though just tossing the subject out there as he took another drink from the bottle.
Greed blinked at Kimbley's unresponsiveness to his assertion of masterhood. Maybe the alchemist had finally learned his place.
"Envy was here?" Greed asked, mind finally catching up. He looked around "Damn. What'd the little creep want?" he looked at his empty hand and then back over to Kimbley "make yourself useful, why don't you, and get me a drink?"
"Che...drinks...here..." The Crimson Alchemist corked the bottle he had in his hand and tossed it at Greed. Not to, at. He wasn't feeling necessarily responsible at the moment, after all, a hangover is a hangover, and even with more booze and painkillers, his head was still a little hazy.
Greed deftly snatched the bottle out of the air and uncorked it, taking a long pull. He made a face at the bottle, inspecting the label. "Is there a reason you're drinking this shit?" he asked, resealing the bottle and tossing it back.
"Because it tastes better than vomit and was the closest thing I could reach without putting myself within range of another kick to the balls from Martel?" Kimbley shrugged, promptly sliding off the bar and tossing the bottle out the door. Where it did, of course, explode. He felt a little better now.
Greed barked a laugh. "Alright, fair enough." he stared after the now-exploded bottle. "You know, you could try a little harder to not attract attention. Unless you liked prison." He shrugged casually.
"Speaking of Martel, how'd you two get on while I was gone?"
There was a noticeable falter in the alchemist's composure at the words 'get on.' It wasn't a second or two before Kimbley let the door swing shut and sauntered casually once more over to another couch, taking a seat and cracking his neck, man sleeping on the floor was a bitch in the morning. "Fine..." Kimbley made a point to be looking in the other direction as he spoke finally.
Greed raised his eyebrow at Kimbley's behavior. "Ahn? What's this?" he dropped his feet and leaned forward, sharp teeth bared in a grin at the alchemist "why so sulky? Wait...let me guess..." Greed looked around the disheveled bar, at the disheveled alchemist, and smirked "You two had a bit too much fun," he curled his tongue behind his teeth suggestively, " and now you're trying to figure out if she'd prefer chocolates or flowers?"
That got his attention alright. Kimbley's head whipped around, hangover or no that was not something that he was going to just let go, gold eyes narrowed profusely. "Like hell, Greed...you know how much we hate each other, and for your information she's got eyes for you anyway." At the last part, a smirk curled the corner of his lips.
But even with Greed, that was edging over the line for a hungover Martel. She had her fingers on her temple again, and she looked up stiffly. "Greed, unless you want a kick in the balls too, I highly suggest you drop the subject."
Greed chuckled "Of course she does. Everyone does." Greed tipped his head to smirk at the chimera "ah, lighten up sweetheart, eh?" he winked at her, then settled back into the couch, plunking his feet back up on the table. "But whatever, I'll let it go. I can see you two are touchy this morning. New love is always stressful like that." he grinned, closing his eyes in mock-restfulness.
Martel narrowed her eyes... touchy indeed. Grabbing a bottle by the neck from behind the counter, she stormed over, and promptly slammed it over the homunculus' head. She knew it wouldn't hurt him, but it'd sure make her feel better. She gritted her teeth, glaring down at him with inhuman green eyes. "Greed, don't push it. Trust me," she hissed.
Greed winced as the glass broke over his head, chuckling as the liquid dripped down his face and soaked the fur ruff of his vest. He stood slowly, brushing the shards off himself, not caring that many of them caught in his hands.
Satisfied with his level of clean, he whipped around and caught Martel by her arm, yanking her forward so that she toppled over the back of the couch. He pressed her face down into the sopping cushion and crouched, putting his mouth near her ear. "Martel, sweetheart, you know I'm very fond of you, and I realize you're very cranky this morning" he stated calmly "But let's not forget who's in charge, yes?" He released her, stepping away to fetch himself a quality drink from the bar.
"So what did you two get up to while I was gone, then?" he asked, turning to lean back against the bar.
She scowled at the treatment, a faint flush on her cheeks, and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. She shook her head and leaned back against the couch, crossing her arms. She wasn't planning to say anything, and if Kimbley did, she'd choke him.
Greed waited, eyebrows raised "If you don't tell me, I'm just gonna make it up for you" he teased "and I think we've already established you don't like it when I do that."
Dorochet came down the back stairs of the bar, rubbing at his eyes -- the pills took care of the nightmares, sure, but they left him feeling like such shit afterward...
The atmosphere in the bar was tense enough to raise the hairs on the back of his neck, to put him on edge. Everyone here should be on the same side, but it sure as hell didn't feel that way today.
He looked over at Greed, nervous. "What the hell did I miss?"
Martel glanced at Dorochet, frowning a little. "So there's the pill thief," she observed, eager to change the subject. "Good thing you didn't take all the asprin too."
Greed gave Dorochet a sympathetic smile "You can't fault him for wanting to sleep through the night, Martel." he set his glass on the bar, letting their previous conversation drop in favor of something less hostile.
"I'm not," she replied. "What I am faulting him for is this." She got up from the couch and leaned over the bar, pulling out the bottle again and holding up the note. She glanced over at the dog chimera, raising a brow. Indeed, he was like a brother to her, and he had done nothing wrong, so she was considerably less hostile. But she was still very cranky. The chimera sighed tiredly, shaking her head. "Really Dorochet, it's not that hard to just run out and buy some. We do live in a city, you know."
Dorochet sniffed. "Thanks, boss. Just because some people pretend they're over the lab..." He looked at the bottles lined up behind the bar, thought about getting a drink, decided against it. No point making his head feel worse, adding liquor on top of the pills' after-effects.
"I'm sorry about the stupid pills, Martel. I didn't know until yesterday that we only had two left. And...it was the full moon, and I figured you'd rather I took the pills than..." He shrugged uncomfortably. "Than wake people up when the dreams got bad."
"So...nobody's going to tell me what the hell's going on, are they? I come down here and you're all at each other's throats, and then --" he looks at Martel -- "you start snapping at me when I didn't do anything wrong... What gives?"
Martel paused, then sighed. She really didn't need to yell at him, after all. She ran a hand over her hair. "Sorry Dorochet. You're right, and I shouldn't be yelling at you. As for explaination... a lot of stuff happened last night. I got drunk, Kimbley got drunk, Envy caused hell, and now we're both hung over."
"And he just left? Envy did?" Greed cut in, appreciative of Dorochet's seeming ability to calm the other chimera "He didn't say what he wanted or cause any real trouble? Just came and then left?" Greed was mildly suspicious of this. His brother didn't usually drop by for chats..
Martel shrugged. "Yeah. That was it. He acted as you, and I was drunk, so I didn't spot it, and then Kimbley came in and exposed him as Envy, and then he just... left. He didn't cause any real harm I suppose, aside from irritating me. I don't know if he really wanted to do much else; he didn't really look like it."
Greed snorted "Ah, yeah, okay.That sounds like Envy." he smiled at Martel "Sorry if he did anything really annoying as me."
He grinned over at Dorochet. "You know, you can always ask me to...help you sleep better.." he leered, winking. "I'm good for nightmares"
Martel rolled her eyes, resting her chin in her palm, smiling a little. "Greed, you are a nightmare. You'd just make it worse." She was quite fond of Greed... she really couldn't stay mad at him for long. And she'd grown to not mind his flirtatious nature for both men and women - it was part of his charm, really. So were things like his casual apologies, similar to the one he'd just made. She forgot he wasn't human all too often.
Dorochet tried to find a grin from somewhere -- God, he felt too slow for this, too awkward to be having this conversation, never mind to have Greed start flirting with him now. "Thanks, boss, but I, ah, I think I have it under control..." Hell, and now he sounded like he was taking it seriously. He needed to have his head examined, if he thought Greed really meant it.
Greed mock-pouted at the chimera "Aw, that's not very nice, love. You'll see; I can be real comforting, if I need to be."
He crossed his legs, leaning more heavily against the bar behind him.
"I'd watch out if I were you, Greed... he'd probably hump your leg during sex," Martel teased, glancing with a playful smirk at Dorochet.
Greed turned a sharp grin at Dorochet, eyes tracing his form. "Oh I dunno...I think he'd be plenty of fun." He shrugged. "But as he said, he can...handle himself fine." Greed smirked, reaching to refil his glass. He loved this game.
Dorochet blushed crimson. "Martel!" It wasn't fair, it really wasn't. She was far too short-tempered for the others to tease her about being cold-blooded, and yet she never missed an opportunity to make fun of them.
...And now Greed wasn't letting up, either. He squirmed, watching the homunculus uncomfortably.
Martel laughed, reaching her arm over and ruffling the chimera's hair. "Nah, we're just teasing." She scratched behind his ears in an attempt to cheer him up. "Does that work?" she laughed.
Oh, now that was more like it... Dorochet leaned into the caress, shivering, grinning despite himself. "Yeah, actually... That's...really nice..."
The snake woman laughed, continuing to rub the sensitive area with her willowy fingers. "Maybe I should buy you a chew toy next time I'm out."
Dorochet laughed, looking over at her, finally feeling like he was really awake and alive again. "That's kind of a personal decision, isn't it? Who -- I mean, what I want to use as a chew toy?"
Martel ran her hand over his head once more before lifting it away, hopping up onto the bar. "I'd go with a Kimbley chew toy, if I was part dog," she said with a smirk. "But you're usually nice to everyone, so... maybe just go with a bone or something."
Greed chuckled at the interaction, crossing the floor to sit on the couch again. "Oh, by the way," he started, looking towards the door "What was with the lovely new addition of color to the front?" he tipped his head at Kimbley, arching an eyebrow "I assume this joker had something to do with it, but was there a reason? Threat?" Greed wasn't worried, but it was always good to keep a sharp watch.
The female chimera shrugged. "Hell if I know. Personally, I'm guessing sheer boredom, because we all know our neighborhood alchemist is a psycho." She sighed, shaking her head. "We're going to have to make sure we lay low again. I mean, with him doing stuff like that, and then with Envy coming here and everything... We'll have to start being more careful." She looked over to the homunculus. "Nobody's tried to contact you or anything, right?"
Dorochet stood up, stretching, and looking around at his comrades. It didn't seem like they were going to hear any more about the incident outside, at least not right now, so he might as well see about getting himself some breakfast, or maybe dinner, whatever -- if there was one thing you learned in the military, it was that things could go wrong at any minute, so you had to take care of yourself when you could. "I'm starving. Anybody feel like coming with me to go get some food?"
Martel blinked, looking over to him, and then grinned a little. "I could go for something to eat. Just as long as your idea of food isn't dog chow or something."
The dog boy smirked back. "I promise no dog chow, as long as you're not swallowing whole rats at the table or anything." He looked up at Greed. "How about it, boss? You wanna join us?"
Greed stood as well. "Good idea" he turned to the chimeras "anywhere specific you had in mind?"
Martel looked to Dorochet. "It's your idea; did you have any place you wanted to go?"
He shrugged. "I don't know... There's that noodle place down at the corner; that's pretty good. Unless you've got better ideas. I just haven't eaten since yesterday sometime."
"Noodles are good." Martel was quite fond of noodles, actually. Not so contrary to her companion's beliefs, she didn't find the thought of eating rats horrifying at all, and she'd eaten a few on occasion (mostly just once to show Al that she did). They were rather tasty, actually. And noodles reminded her of the tails. Martel hardly found her reasoning for enjoying noodles disturbing. She was half snake, so it didn't bother her one bit.
Greed clapped his hands, rubbing them together. "Noodles it is." he followed his chimeras out the door, draping an arm over Dorochet's shoulders as they left the bar "and you know, I really would be quite happy to help you sleep anytime you needed it" he purred "a big empty bed can be hell sometimes.."
Martel smirked, shaking her head, glancing at Dorochet. "How much do you want to bet Greed's goal for today is 'get into Dorochet's pants'?"
Dorochet tensed a little as Greed threw an arm around his shoulders. He didn't answer Martel -- the only thing he could think to say was the truth, and God knew he didn't want to admit that in front of Greed: He could have me any time he gave the order. I belong to him.
"Ah, thanks for the offer, boss... I'll keep that in mind..."
She too fell silent, quietly glancing over at the other chimera. She knew what he thought. She felt the same way about Greed, and she always had. They were his. What he had done for them was a debt that couldn't be repaid, no matter how much she joked that her time was almost up. She'd follow him always, like Dorochet. She didn't care that he thought of them as possessions, that he wasn't human, that he couldn't love. It didn't matter to her. Just so long as she could stay by his side and serve him, she was content, even though nothing meaningful could really happen between them. Martel sighed, tucking her hands in her pockets as they walked outside, and reminded herself not to brood too much.
----------
The Crimson Alchemist, in the meantime, resorted to his usual. Helping himself to the bar while the non-humans were away. It surprised him still to this day that Greed actually ate and drank like a normal human, really. Not as much as it had the first time he'd seen it after learning of the Homunculus' true nature, but still it made him wonder just why and how. Kimbley'd wait for the others to get back, minding his own business, probably catching some peace and quiet staring at the ceiling while he had the chance.
But Kimbley thought to himself then, more than he'd probably thought in a while. The incident with Martel and that other guy, Envy...to say the least, they made him think.
And it was then that Kimbley came to realize, that his reasons for staying weren't so different from those of the snake chimera after all. Despite being entirely able to fend for himself and owing no debt to anyone, knowing that he could leave any time he wanted, the Crimson Alchemist was still here.
Kimbley was still here for the same reason that Martel was...albeit slightly different in the sense that he wasn't indebted to service. They were both here because of Greed.
Because of some uncontrollable compelling force that attracted them to him. The man who wasn't really a man at all, heartless, inhuman, but even someone so cold and insane as Kimbley was struck by that damn charm.
No matter how many times he had the pleasure of transmuting Greed into an explosive substance, the man wouldn't go away...and Kimbley found himself oddly comfortable and intrigued by this. He liked it...it's not every day you run across somebody you can blow up and then talk to them casually like nothing happened, after all. Despite being one of seven, Greed certainly was one of a kind.
Kimbley sighed to himself and clenched his fists, scowling. He'd formed some kind of twisted dependancy and god damnit he knew it too. And he hated it.
Ever since the fifth laboratory, ever since he first saw that damn Homunculus... Sure, Kimbley didn't owe anything to Greed...and Greed had no real grip on Kimbley... But that didn't change much really at all.
Kimbley was still here, and that in itself was playing in Greed's favor. His presence here simply said to Greed, 'Yes, you do own me,' and Kimbley knew it. He told himself he could leave at any time, that he had nothing tying him down here. But it was a lie.
He couldn't leave whenever he wanted to, as many times as he'd tried he couldn't do it. Of course, only Greed knew that, as Kimbley was too proud to let it be publicly known that he was just another pet. As it stood, he supposed that's what he was. Greed's little human pet. And he HATED it. Hated himself for it...
It was no surprise then, really, that when a young man wandered into the bar that night that the Crimson Alchemist decided he wanted to know what it was like to own rather than to be owned. But the boy had run away...and Kimbley was just Greed's personal alchemist again.
Tattooed hands clasped together in front of him on the bar, as he'd moved from his spot from the time he'd begun thinking, without even realizing it. His forehead rested against the cradle made by thumbs and forefingers, and Kimbley closed his eyes. He'd known for a long time now...that explosions weren't the only things he thought about all the time...
----------
Greed pushed open the door to the noodle shop, holding it for his companions, then stepped in after them. He glanced around, taking things in, then pointed to the waitress scuttling about on the floor.
"Go ahead and order, find a place to sit. I'll be right there." He grinned widely then sauntered over to the cashier, ready to charm them some free food. It wasn't that they were strapped for cash, or anything remotely close to it, but it was more fun and a certain point of pride for him to earn them their meals like this.
Well, hell, as long as Greed was doing his thing -- Dorochet recognized that smile, had seen how easily it destroyed people's willpower, plenty of times -- he might as well get a double order, no, make that a triple order, of the pancit they did here that he liked so much. It was just too good not to, when he had an opportunity like this.
"So," he said to Martel, "you have any plans for tonight?"
"Tonight?" she asked, a little startled from her reverie. She looked over at Dorochet, pulling out a chair at one of the tables and taking a seat. "Hn... well, I'm not planning on staying home, that's for sure. After last night, I'm not exactly dying to stay there," she answered, shrugging. She didn't seem entirely hostile about the subject now, probably since her hangover had worn off, and she was only around Dorochet at the moment. Dorochet was like a brother to her, so she felt comfortable confiding in him. While with Greed... she often found herself getting flustered (be it embarrassed or angry) when such a topic came up. Greed did have a tendancy to inflame strong emotions in her, no doubt because of her feelings for him. Dorochet however was much easier to talk to, especially since they had been through many of the same things. It was hard to stay mad at him for long, like with Greed. But with the chimera, it was because he was like her brother, but with Greed, it was because of his amazing ability to attract her.
There was an extremely light noise, very faint, of delicate footfalls slowly crossing the roof of the noodle shop. Typically one wouldn't even hear them above the sound inside.
A cattish looking girl in a straight jacket stumbled down the dark street, wild hair falling down around her shoulders. She looked up, dazed, and obviously a chimera of some sort... Then her head hung down again and she resumed her blind, broken walk, if it could even be called that.
Curious...
There was a soft sound of the fluttering of fabric, scuffing of boots on pavement, and a slightly louder landing on the roof of the noodle shop once more.
There was no sight in the street of a blundering chimera now. The girl had been scooped up by a boy of about sixteen, or so he looked that way. A clawed hand clasped over the girl's mouth to keep her from crying out and revealing their location. In the meantime, the male chimera was looking around and keeping an eye out, despite the fact that his eyes were hidden completely behind a pair of dark sunglasses. There was a rushed and severely hushed whisper issued to the girl, like an order, as he moved his hand from her mouth and signalled silence.
She looked up, her eyes half-closed (or half-opened, depending on whether you were an optimist or a pessimist), but still open enough to reveal her almost-reverse eyes. The female chimera wasn't all too sure of what was going on, but she took it in stride. It couldn't be much worse than where she had been before... could it?
The red-haired chimera put his ear to the roof material, listening to what was going on inside as best he could. From what he could tell...there was eating of course...but there was one voice that stood out more than the others...one that sent chills down his spine. That must be the one he had heard of...the Homunculus...
Her dead-looking eyes shifted to see the roof, then to the boy with the side of his head against it. One of her ears twitched, listening. Some sort of food... Dear Azathoth, was she ever hungry. She hadn't had anything to eat since she'd escaped, and even then, entrails weren't the most filling of all the foods... Sure, an arm and a leg could tide you over for a while, but one can only survive off that sort of thing for so long. Running a black tongue over her matching lips (natural, of course... what did you think, there was make-up at the institution?), she wondered if there was anything writhing to be had.
He listened still...two other voices there that struck him as unusual...one he didn't like the sound of at all...made the little hairs on the back of his neck stand up, but out of some primal instinct rather than fear, the voice wasn't frightening at all, it was just the way it felt...he could smell it too...smelled like dog...he didn't like that...
The other...female...more...what was it...reminded him almost of...ah, yes...snake...and by the sound of it, with a bite to rival his own. This might be harder than he'd planned...
Blinking first one eye, then the other, the female chimera lifted a shoulder to scratch her cheek, moving her glasses just a bit. Mmm, yes, food, that's what she was thinking about. In her state, she felt almost drugged. Hopefully not really, or else that might mean they were coming back for her... Yech, and what a day that would be.
Then again, she never did get that left leg off of Dr. Ward...
Blood red, furry tail twitched, matched his hair...snakes...right...snakes could feel vibrations of steps transferred through the ground...shit...
Eyes darted to the other chimera...shit...clumsy fool what was she thinking!
She turned her head slowly to look at him, eyes still looking drugged. The chimera tilted her head to one side. He was looking very angry with her, and just at their first visit? Well, it was bound to happen...
Oh dear, what if she had eaten his uncle... Then again, she hadn't seen any red tails where she had come from. Well, from anyone she'd eaten, anyway. Oh dear, oh dear.
He crouched down low, laying so that his body was even with the roof's surface. Covered in black cloth, he was hard to spot if you weren't really looking for him. One hand lifted to tell the other chimera to hide behind the smokestack, out of view, and quickly.
Well, at least she could be quiet when she needed to be. The female chimera slipped behind the smokestack as if she were a shadow herself, then turned her head in case the boy had any other directions.
Maybe she hadn't devoured his next of kin after all if he was helping her like this. Then again, he wasn't really giving off any of those "helping vibes"... Well, whatever. He was paying attention, even if he wasn't afraid of her.
She willed her stomach not to rumble, for fear of giving away her new (non...?)companion. Mmm, his right arm there was starting to look really tasty about now... Maybe with some fava beans... But she silenced the thought quickly, considering he probably knew where the hell they were and she, herself, did not in the least.
Martel wrinkled her nose. She couldn't smell or hear the other chimeras, but she sure as hell could feel them. While absolutely nothing quivered on the table or counter, she could feel a buzzing vibration pulse through her, thanks to her serpentine instincts. The movement was clumsy, disorderly, and she frowned, glancing away from Dorochet and then outside. "What's going on out there?" she muttered cautiously, standing. Moving towards the door, she pushed it open and carefully watched the street. A girl, stumbling along, looking quite wretched really. Martel started, and felt herself chill with a shudder. She knew those eyes. Eyes of a chimera. Eyes that had barely seen light for years, and too much of other, much less pleasant things. Eyes that no matter how much they smiled, could not hide the torture seen. The snake chimera felt an overwhelming sense of sympathy. She knew what it felt like. But this one apparently hadn't adjusted as well. Letting the door to the noodle store chime silently shut, she slowly stepped towards the street. She knew Dorochet would pick up the scent of the disoriented chimera, just as she had sensed the vibrations of her steps. But she hoped he'd follow only after Martel had established herself as a friend to this stranger... or if the stranger established herself as an enemy.
Martel blinked when she caught the movement of the girl, seeing her move behind the smokestack. She blinked, and frowned a little. That certainly wasn't going to keep Martel away so easily. She kept her pace slow, unthreatening, and stepped around the back of the smokestack, lifting an arm. "Hey."
Didn't seem threatening...in that case...
"Hey..."
There came a male voice from the rooftop behind the apparently serpentine chimera, and the lightest of vibrations was sent through the ground as his feet touched gravel behind her. One hand signalled to the feline, motioning for her to come to his side, as he looked this new face up and down from behind dark sunglasses that hid his eyes completely from view.
The spotted chimera's eyes, partially hidden behind her wavy, black hair, opened wide in suprise, her back hitting the smokestack lightly as she gave a start. The cattish chimera's almost-reverse eyes dashed all around. Who was this girl? She smelled... snakish... Not human (and definitely not a Dr. Ward... yech, he had smelled awful), but not really a reptile, either. Something more like the others that she had seen in the institution...
She turned her head towards the male chimera, still regarding the snakish one with a sideways glance. Maybe she could be trusted, but maybe she couldn't... There was no lie in those eyes, but she had thought that before, too. The cattish chimera inched towards boy with the red hair.
Then again, she was in a straight jacket, and there wasn't going to be a whole lot of waving back...
Martel looked them up and down with her dark green eyes, surveying them and summing up their features. The girl was of course disoriented, and with the straightjacket, she couldn't do much harm if she got angry, unless she could transform, like Law. The boy however... he could be a problem if he was to get angry. But she didn't want enemies out of them. They'd been through the same sort of thing. She nodded slightly. "I'm Martel. Looks like we're in the same boat."
The tone of her voice sounded alright... And she did sound like she meant what she said.
The cattish chimera swallowed once, licked her lips with her black tongue, then opened her mouth, speaking with a voice that sounded as though it had either not been used very much or had been strained heavily.
"I am...Decay...and it is... nice to...meet...you..." She spoke haltingly, as if searching for the words in the air around her.
"Nn..." The boy reached up, clawed hands snatching off the sunglasses to reveal one emerald green eye, the other with a scar that covered it, leaving it blank and a dull white. Tucking the sunglasses away, he nodded. "Ashton...perhaps moreso than you think even...Ishbar war, am I correct?" His tail waved from side to side slowly, hands shoved in the pockets of a beat up trenchcoat.
Martel nodded slowly to each in turn. As for Decay... perhaps she had been an Ishbal citizen taken captive. Martel couldn't really recall her face. She glanced at Ashton, peering at him for a few moments. Perhaps she remembered him... "What rank were you?" she asked.
"Special operatives section 6..." Rakai's tail twitched slightly...something nearby...it was probably the dog that was making him edgy.
--------
Greed tapped the edge of the table with his fingers, sipping at the drink he'd ordered-and-most-certainly-not-paid-for.
"Where's Martel?" He asked disinterestedly. "Her noodles are getting cold." With a shrug, Greed reached over and snagged her bowl. If she wanted the food when she returned, he'd get her a new one.
He looked up to watch Dorochet consume his going-on-third noodlebowl like he hadn't eaten in weeks and grinned "You know, it's quite possible that we will be eating again. You don't have to eat like it's your last meal." Greed pointed at the chimera with his chopsticks--and several traditional patrons gasped at the taboo--then resumed eating Martel's food.
-------
Decay tilted her head to one side. Something about a dog... Her brother had been a dog, hadn't he? She couldn't remember much, anyway, so it was useless to think about.
Now food, that was something worth pondering. Her ears twitched as she wondered if there was some sort of human she could make into a sandwich right about now... Or, really, she could just skip the bread. Mmm...human... She flicked out her tongue to catch a stray bit of saliva that was trying to make its way away from her.
"Section 6?" the serpentine chimera repeated, and frowned. She leaned towards the shop entrance, yelling, "Dorochet! Hey, Dorochet! C'mere!"
--------
Dorochet grinned at Greed. "Yeah, I'm sure we'll get a chance to eat again eventually. But I'm hungry now." And the food was good here, damnit. "Martel went outside. What she thought was so important that it couldn't wait, I don't know."
He looked up at Martel's shout, pausing. "What's up?"
--------
The more human of the feline chimeras turned, following the dog scent that he picked up from inside the noodle shop and slipping inside to observe. Forgetting to replace his sunglasses, Ashton received several astonished and frightened stares at the dull, white eye, to which he returned the finger.
Decay turned to watch Ashton walk into the shop and wondered what that was he was doing with his hand whenever he got those odd stares... It looked familiar, but... Oh well. Surely she would think of it one of these days.
Now back to the food... What about with some cheese? She'd never tried that before...
Martel frowned a little, and then glanced at Decay. "Follow me," she ordered, leaping down to the ground again and jogging after Ashton. "Hold up!" she called. Once inside, she glanced to Dorochet, gesturing to Ashton and Decay. "If you can't smell something familiar about them, get your nose checked," she said, shrugging and shaking her head.
Decay slipped to the ground (on the borderline of clumsy, but come on, she's sort of been denied the use of her upper apendages) and follwed Martel inside, trying to figure out what in the world that odd finger gesture meant. She thought she had an idea, though, considering the looks Ashton was getting after he did it...
A clawed hand reached into Ashton's pocket and placed the sunglasses back in their spot to cover his eyes, which were now narrowed profusely in irritation with these people.
Dorochet nodded. "Wouldn't take a chimera to know those aren't human," he pointed out, gesturing with his chopsticks. "They're nobody I know, though -- what are they doing here?"
Martel jerked her head over at Ashton. "He's from Section 6. Her, I don't--hey, my noodles!" she exclaimed, catching the sight of Greed's stolen noodles. She scowled, snatching the bowl back and her chopsticks.
Ashton stepped up, leaning down and peering at Dorochet, upper lip curling slightly as his nose wrinkled and he backed away. "Dog...I knew it..." Clearing his throat, he adjusted his sunglasses. "I'm not sure but the kid's with me now...picked her up on the way here so to speak...thing I didn't mention was when I said section six I meant in the previous war...Bet you didn't know they went back that far...well...maybe he did..." The red-headed chimera gestured at Greed. "He's the reason I'm here..."
Decay moved her head around to help get rid of that horrible ache in her neck. She compromised with a hunched position and watched the others talk. Ishbar... Sounded familiar, but, like that weird little gesture, was not quite within her grasp. Oh well.
Martel blinked, and tensed a little, holding the bowl with one hand now, an arm resting casually at her shoulder, just near her knife. If there was a threat to Greed, she was ready for it. "What do you want with him?" she asked quietly.
"A few words and possibly a deal...but I'll speak no more of it here...the girl and I will return to your place of residence for the night and hopefully you'll show some hospitality and provide a place to sleep...we'll talk of this in the morning...but not until then...I have too much to think about..."
And with that, the feline chimera boy was silent, eyes watching the happenings from behind dark glasses.
Greed smiled beautifically at Martel, letting her reclaim her food with a tiny shrug. Not like he actually needed to be eating.
He sat back in the booth, watching the spectacle these new strangers made with an amused sort of disinterest. At the rude one's comment about the dog, his eyebrows furrowed and he sat forward slightly. His expression got even darker as he was indirectly referred to.
"Ah? Well, you could at least bother to introduce yourself properly then. You were at least raised by humans? Taught you some manners?" he snorted, leaning back again. "And if you've got a problem with Dorochet, you can take it up with me." Sharp teeth flashed in a smile that was more of a threat "he's one of my trusted team members. Who the hell are you?" Greed asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'd be careful about requesting things," Martel said, frowning a little and setting the bowl down. "We don't have any idea who you are, really. Would you let a stranger into your home?" She glanced at Greed, and nodded in agreement. "And insulting our comrade doesn't help very much."
Dorochet glanced over at Martel with a grin. "I didn't know you cared." He waited, apparently relaxed, ready for any order Greed had to give. Especially the kind that involved teaching this trash some manners the messy way.
She grinned, putting a hand to her forehead and sighing. "Ah, dogs. Great companions, not observant," she teased. But of course, it was all in good fun, like usual.
Martel looked over to Ashton. "Now then. You've been rude, but you haven't shown entirely hostile actions. We can deal with you, but..." She shrugged, looking to Greed and Dorochet. "I for one don't want him at home with us. You two?"
Greed sniffed "Not with an attitude like that. I don't need trouble makers. Or dependents" he jerked his thumb at the one in the straightjacket, then turned to face the two new-comers. "I'd like to help you, kids, I would. But I'm not a social worker. I only take people if they have something to offer." Greed picked up his glass and swirled it around, the ice clinking against the glass.
"Hell, Greed, even if they have something to offer, I don't think you can trust them." Dorochet stared at the rude one, almost challenging. If he was going to get treated like he was nothing but an animal, fine. He'd be what they expected. "Being fused with a dog might not be glamorous, but at least a dog's loyal. Cats, on the other hand... Cats don't care about anyone but themselves."
Martel glanced over at her friend, and nodded in agreement with what he said. Then, she looked back to the other chimeras. "Listen. You can probably find someplace to stay around here. But don't bother us. Getting into trouble isn't our first priority, all right?" She leaned over, slurping up the last of her noodles, and then walked towards the door, putting a hand on Ashton's shoulder as she left, saying quietly, "We can't trust you, but we look out for kindred spirits. The girl doesn't look like she's able to survive on her own. Take care of her." She looked over her shoulder at Greed and Dorochet, and nodded. With that, she stepped outside, tucking her hands into her pockets to wait for them.
Greed stood as well, pausing at the Rude One's shoulder, not bothering to look down to make eye contact. "If whatever you have to say to me is so important, I suggest you re-think your approach. You can't bully your way into getting what you want all the time."
He pushed open the door and held it, waiting for Dorochet. Turning his head to look at Martel, he grinned "Never a dull moment, eh sweetheart? This is what we get for being so damn popular."
Dorochet couldn't help grinning as he left, nodding his thanks at Greed for holding the door. That had turned out pretty well after all. "Where to next, boss? I don't wanna head home and just have the little bastards follow us back..."
Martel paused in thought for a minute, and then grinned. "How about showing them what we're made of? We could have a 'casual' training session in that warehouse a few blocks down. It's pretty big. We could lose them there, and if they even see us, they'll know what they're dealing with. We could split up afterwards. There are three of us and two of them. I can feel them coming, and Dorochet can smell them. How about it?" she offered, shrugging.
Greed nodded. "We could, but I don't want you two being worn out in the event that those jokers actually try and pose a threat." He glanced over his shoulder at the noodle bar. "Not that I think they'd be any real trouble, but your energy could probably be put into something more...productive" Greed leered at his chimeras, then winked. "What say we just try and lose them?"
"Following your lead, boss." There was a part of Dorochet that hoped the strangers would come start something, just so they could fight things out, get it over with. But the rest of him -- the rational part, the human logic -- was happy to just let it go, to have a chance to go out and do something with the evening. "Too bad there isn't more to do in this damn town."
The snake chimera shrugged, sighing. "I suppose we could grab a train out of town, but..."
"Isn't that like conceeding defeat? I said 'lose them' not 'turn tail and run'" Greed crossed his arms, thinking. "They're just a bunch of punk kids, after all. I just don't want them underfoot."
"I was more implying as to Dorochet's complaint of there being a lack of entertainment around here. If we want to lose them, I'd be happy to run a few laps around the city," she said with a shrug. "I haven't gotten out enough lately anyway."
---------
Heh...just as expected...a grin worked its way onto the cat's face and he swiftly released the clasps that held the straight jacket together, letting the less human chimera's arms free. In another blink of an eye two guns were drawn from within the tattered trenchcoat, bullets put through the heads of four unsuspecting bystanders. People that leered like that pissed him off...
"Have yourself something to eat...you're with me now, kid...maybe he'll be up for an alliance of some sort...but I'll be damned if I get treated like a pet..."
The feline ran his tongue over slightly elongated fangs, smirking. This would indeed be entertaining...surely they'd heard the gunshots, even if he'd used a silencer the dog would've heard, so he didn't bother.
"Clean up good, I'll keep an eye out..."
And with that Ashton stepped outside of the bar, not even flinching as the remaining customers fled past him with horrified looks and screams. It was all part of training. All part of things he'd done and seen before. It was all in a day's work, really.
---------
Greed opened his mouth to reply, but was cut short by the echo of gunshots and the following screams. Greed sighed and pursed his lips together as frightened customers pushed past him in their attempts to flee.
"Poor kids" he smirked "Not gonna make it, with an approach like that. They're practically screaming for attention." He turned to look at his chimeras "I don't think he knows at all how to get what he wants. For instance, we can eat there every goddamn night if we want," Greed placed his hand on his chest and looked rather pleased with himself for a moment "for free. They, on the other hand, will never get within twenty feet of this building again. There are only so many places to eat in this city."
He turned, walking off, knowing the other two would follow "But I don't feel like hanging around to meet the military tonight. I don't think they'll be very impressed with some punk kid trying to force a place for himself, and I don't want to get caught taking sides."
Dorochet laughed softly as he followed. "You'd think he'd have more sense. Hell, the last thing I'd want if I looked that freakish would be to give people more reasons to hunt me down."
He followed Greed down the street, away from the noodle shop and away from the Devil's Nest -- if the military didn't take him down first, that kid would be coming to bother them again, and they wouldn't want to have that fight at home.
---------
His tail flicked suddenly, and his head whipped to the side. "Hn...the newer breeds aren't quite as brutal as we were designed to be I see...they're more human..." Ashton sighed slightly and ran clawed fingers through his hair. "Make tracks when you're done...I'll find you again...in the meantime I've got business to take care of..."
There was the swish of fabric as he turned and left the shop, disappearing across the rooftops.
Not long after, a vaguely familiar figure stepped out of an alleyway, running an entirely human hand through messy blood red hair, that soon fell back in place to cover his left eye, right eye an emerald green that was complimented by his hair. With a light sigh, the boy, devoid of anything that would make him stand out and be recognized for much back there, started to walk down the street in the direction he knew that the other chimeras had gone.
Cuffs jingled at his wrists, and the chains on his loose black pants chinked together as he walked. A sleeveless black shirt tightly fit his upper body, while there was no trenchcoat to be seen, as well as no tail. There was nothing unusual about the boy at all, really, and even when he yawned, his teeth were no different from a normal human.
His step was a bit shuffling, tired, as though he'd been walking it too long. A pair of dog-tags hung around his neck, and he opened his palm to look down at the onyx inlaid in the skin. Useful sometimes, that it was.
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What the hell was taking them so long! They were just going out for lunch after all...oi...probably forgot about him...
It wasn't that Kimbley really minded the quiet time or the fact that the others probably forgot he was here, or were just ditching him, not at all. It was more along the lines that Kimbley could only brood for so long. And he'd reached his limit about three hours ago.
That being said, the Crimson Alchemist rose from his seat at the bar, shaking his head at the neglegence of his so called comrades, and was about to go to bed, when he heard gunshots...
Well...this could be interesting after all! Smirk in place, Kimbley proceeded to hunt down the source of said gunshots, in hopes of having something to blow up and get his mind off of the only other thing he really thought of. Or perhaps he'd run into the others and then bitch at them for staying out so long. Either way, it would prove to be entertaining. They had been going for noodles, hadn't they? Ah...that would be the direction to look.
The burgundy wearing black haired man stepped out of the bar and, hands pocketed, began to walk down the street in the direction of the noodle shop, which just so happened also to be the direction of the gunshots.
----------
Dorochet glanced over at Greed and Martel as they walked toward the center of town, taking broad streets with plenty of light, headed toward more human company, all three of them seemingly with not a care in the world. "This won't come as any surprise to you, but Rude and Poncy is still following us. Some people, for lack of a better word, just can't seem to take a hint."
Greed laughed, not bothering to look back. "Oh, I'm surprised." he said, sounding anything but. "Damn, he really must want to talk to me. " Greed grinned as they weaved their way through the slight-but-still-existant nightcrowd. "I hope he doesn't think that I'll stop and listen if he starts shooting again. What do you think?" he tipped his head at Dorochet "Lose him, or just put an end to it now and put him out of all our miseries?" Greed narrowed his eyes, grin gone hungry.
"Or maybe you just need to quit being so paranoid long enough to let a guy at least explain his actions..." Ashton hadn't taken long to catch up, that having been what he was trying to do after all. "I'm not here to pick fights..." He held out his hands, palm up, to show he wasn't hiding anything, not even the alchemic array on his right palm, or the fact that he had changed appearances to be more human, not even hiding his eyes, though his hair took care of the left. "Leave if you want...I won't follow you home, I've got my own pride..."
Dorochet grinned back, Greed's attitude contagious. The alpha wanted to fight, and that made his heart beat faster, made him want, too -- want to fight, want to kill, and other things that he didn't dare think about too closely... "I'm game for a fight. I don't care how spooky he is, he's no match for us together."
Greed arched an eyebrow and half turned back to face their follower. "You didn't seem too keen on just explaining yourself before. You seemed more interested in making demands and setting yourself up as some sort of badass. Hate to break it to you, kid," he smirked and tipped his head at his companions "But we're a little difficult to impress. Sooner or later you grow up and things don't seem as impressive as they do when you're still in short pants." He grinned, reaching out casually to pat the boy on the head. "When you're ready to talk with adults, then I'll see what I can do for you."
There was a light scoff as Ashton raised his right arm against the Homunculus' wrist, pushing the hand off of his head. "I'm not a kid...no more a child than you are human..."
Greed bared his teeth at the child in a mockery of a smile, "You're only as old as you act, boy. Didn't you know?"
Relaxing his posture, Greed placed a hand on his hip and looked down at the young chimera over the top of his sunglasses. "Now, if you had anything important to say, I suggust you do so now. I'm being generous."
"Aah...I can't say how the rudimentary experiment got here, but as for myself I've been keeping an eye on you for quite some time...since before those two even knew what a chimera was." His head tilted to gesture towards the dog and the snake. "Lost track of your movements some time before the Ishbar war, though...so my information sources ran dry. Sad to say, out of my corps from back then I was the only one to make it, you guys are lucky to have a group of at least three..." In the meantime, Ashton had shifted on his heels to get a bit more comfortable.
"I crossed paths with Envy a while back, I'm pretty sure you know him, right? He is after all one of your kind..." He pointed at the Oroburos on the back of the man's hand, and then rubbed the back of his head slightly. "Aah...forgive my former crudity, it's been a while since I've had to act my age so to speak...blending in and all..."
Greed arched an eyebrow. "I don't appreciate being lied to. Try again."
"It's the same thing I tell everyone you know...but fine..." Rakai slowly traced over the array on his right palm, placing two fingers to it as his form regenerated to its more animalistic state, and he cracked his shifted jaw a bit. "You could call me a failed experiment, or a successful one if you see it that way...probably can't even call me a halfling for that matter...maybe more a prototype...like a mix between you and them..."
The feline chimera lifted his shirt to show the tattoo, similar to the Oroburos, but slightly different in that several parts were missing. "If you don't believe me, you can always just go ask Dante herself...if she's still around at least..." There was an undeniable sincerity in the one eye that showed. If he was still lying, even a lie detector wouldn't have been able to pick it up.
Greed stared. Then continued staring.
"Just to be clear..." he started, motioning for Dorochet and Martel's attention, so they could help him sort facts "You look like you're about 16" he ran his eyes up and down the boy's body "Dress like no one I've ever seen, you're clearly a chimera, but not, because you're apparently also...half of a failed transmutation?" He arched an eyebrow, still trying to sort all these fact through his head. "So as it stands you're some sort of cross between me, Law, and Kimbley." he pointed at the array on the boy's hand. "And you were in the Ishbal war, which is about when you lost track of me, irregardless of the fact that Envy--who you so casually mention in passing--had me locked up underground by near to a century by that point." Greed chuckled mirthlessly and looked at his companions. "You must not have been looking very hard."
Turning back to the boy, he snarled "Sorry, but your time line just does fit up with the way things actually happened. You can't logically be and have done everything you claim. "
Dorochet grinned. "Naw, boss, the war before the one we were in. All those years, and still no subtlety."
Greed squinted "There were two wars?" he shrugged "Wait, how many Ishbals were there? And how do you know the Fullmetal Alchemist?" Greed turned to address the chimeramonculus.
"If my records are a bit off I apologize for that, my memory's been degrading for a while now...I can't recall where or when exactly I'm from either...I just know it was a long time ago...too long..." Ashton sat on the ground, massaging his temples as he tried to think. "Damn...not exactly half...more like a few of the early ones tossed in a pot and stirred, I got what came out of it so to speak...leftovers...kinda like that new Wrath kid has the Fullmetal's arm and leg...I've...gotten around quite a bit...gathered as much information as I could..."
--------
The alchemist walked further down the street, having peeked into the noodle shop and nearly lost what little he'd had to put in his stomach that day, in search of Greed and the others. Around the corner...and...there, in the distance...and Kimbley simply voiced his thoughts without realizing it.
"Who the hell is that guy?"
-------
Greed tilted his head. "So...you're chimeramonculus soup?" He grinned, feral, hungry and mocking "Can I eat you?"
"...I prefer to just be called a chimera...it's not like I'm actually a soulless shell like you and your brethren..." Ashton decided to just not answer that second question...this whole thing was getting a bit out of hand, and damnit if he didn't get the feeling he was being sneered down at...god that pissed him off...
Greed winced, putting a hand to his chest "You wound me, kid, you really do" he smirked. "But, confusing time jumps and history re-writes aside, I didn't hear one bit of information in your spiel that indicated you could be any use to me." With a final tilt of his head, Greed turned on his heal and started back down the street, hands tucked casually into his pockets.
Dorochet followed Greed, glancing over at him, holding back a smile. "You had me worried there for a minute, boss. I almost thought that was going to go on all night."
"Che..." The alchemist kicked at the gravel, and picked up a few pebbles, hurling them with precise aim directly at the retreating head of black hair rimmed with white fuzz. He crossed his arms after that, irritated look set on his face.
Greed grinned over at Dorochet "Nyaah, I've got better things to do. I don't need trouble makers or confused pups in my pack, right?" He reached over to ruffle Dorochet's hair.
"Shit..." Ashton turned his head in time to see a red-clad man hurl a couple of stones...something different about them though...and without a second thought two bullets were fired, colliding with each other in close proximity to the thrown rock, detonating along with the stones. "Hmm...thought so..."
Dorochet grinned back, leaning into the touch helplessly. "Mmm, right. Aah..." He didn't mean to be responding, didn't mean to be nearly whining at the touch, but praise was praise, and being rewarded for his loyalty...by someone like Greed, especially...was wonderful...
Kimbley's left eye was twitching now...kid reminded him of the military...
And what the hell was he thinking detonating those little things, it wasn't like they'd hurt Greed or anything...tch...
"OI! FORGETTING someone here!?" But what was more annoying, was that they seemed to be IGNORING him!
Greed half turned, the smile sliding off his face to be replaced with a confused look. "Ah?" he tipped his head, hand still in Dorochet's hair "Oh, Kimbley...where did you come from? I thought you stayed at the bar?" he shrugged, and motioned with one hand. "Well, come then. If you don't want to be forgotten, don't leave yourself behind. You aren't a child, I shouldn't have to invite you, right?" he smirked at his alchemist, attempting to leave for the third time.
Kimbley sneered slightly as he walked past the unkempt chimera, kicking a bit of dust at him. "Mind your own business, kid..."
Catching up with Greed and the others, he shot a glare at the Homunculus. "Well I thought you guys were just going to eat...not pick up some trigger-happy alley cat and walk around the city for the rest of the afternoon...you could've said something you know...just to be considerate at least I know you've done it before..." Hands were shoved back in his pockets as he kept up the pace, slightly behind the chimeras.
"Aww, I'm sorry sweetheart" Greed cooed, turning quickly to give Kimbley a peck on the cheek. "I'll be sure to call home and let you know next time me and the boys are gonna be late, okay? Tell the kids daddy loves them for me." he smirked at the alchemist. "It's not like we were trying to meet up with them, you know. When someone obsessively stalks you, you don't have much of a choice in the matter."
The feline chimera took one more glance over his shoulder towards the retreating group and scowled. "I'm not somebody you should make an enemy of...but if I'm not with you then I'm with them...and if that's the case, the next time we meet will be the last..." Ashton's voice was low, barely audible at that distance, if at all, seeing as really he was speaking more to himself than the others, as he turned in the direction of the shop and left.
All there was to do now was pick up Decay and be on their way...finally say goodbye to this little town...
Please review, constructive criticism and questions appreciated, flames will be deflected back at you by Roy. n.n;
