A/N: Hello-o-oh ladies and gents! :) I hope you all are doing better than me (buried in homework and studies as I am), I finally found time to write up a quick chapter, hopefully it's not as boring as I think it turned out ^_^ I may have time to update next week on Friday, so stay tuned! :D
ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:
Cutepanda12323: Thanks so much! I'm really glad someone's commenting, reviews just really make my day! :) Hope you enjoy this chapter too!
JirachiAtSundown: haha I think I already said everything through PM, but still let me thank you (so much) again for your help JAS! :D (virtual hug!) Hope this chapter ain't too bad this time ^^
Original Johnny Cash quote mentioned: Sometimes I am two people. Johnny is the nice one. Cash causes all the trouble. They fight.
Enjoy!
BTW: The chapter title is a definite hint to what sin will be (very briefly) introduced in this chapter. Now what is the majestic king of the beasts known most for? ;)
Lions Sin
He didn't see the point of this anymore.
Why couldn't he talk to her normally? Why did his throat clog up and words failed him whenever the word 'war' or 'battle' were on the tip of his tongue?
Why did he push her away?
Of course, he knew why. He was a soldier, she was a woman thankfully untouched by war, strife, endangerments to her life…
He couldn't befriend her and risk the possibility of exploiting her to any of it.
He was a soldier. A damn good one if he said so himself, he had more enemies than he remembered having good marks in school, which had been a lot. If any of his enemies even suspected the source for his distractions could potentially be because of her, they would hunt her down no matter what. It didn't matter that they were all stationed here, he knew well enough that soldiers fighting on the front lines, most of them anyway, had enough external sources outside of the military and he knew they wouldn't hesitate using them.
He wasn't afraid to use his too.
With that, he made the call as he pressed dial.
After the fourth ring, the person on the other end finally picked up, "How is it?"
A grunt, "Fine, don't get your panties in a twist. Your girlfriend is safe and dandy," Edward rolled his eyes, resting a hand on his hip as he dug his heel into the earth.
"She is not my-" he grit his teeth, nostrils flaring until the drawling voice stopped him.
"Yeah, yeah, not your girlfriend, I know, I know. Don't bite my ears off Lieutenant General," there was a tired yawn before he could hear shuffling, "How's it on your end? Any trouble?"
An image of the hanging corpses flashed through his mind and Ed reluctantly buried them down, "Several. Drachma killed most of our men, we are reassembling and Bradley's sending in for reinforcements." He bit his lip, fingers nervously fiddling within the confines of his jacket pocket, "Their attacks are getting more frequent and direct, but we plan to retaliate. You just keep me informed on the situation over there, alright?"
Another bored drawl, "Yes, sir. As long as you keep sending in that delicious supply of whisky, I'll wake up every morning and the first thing on my mind will be your ever generous ass," Edward sighed, fighting to keep down the small smirk from forming on his face.
"Moody as ever I see." He shifted his weight and switched his phone from one ear to the other, "Are all of you tech freaks like that?" he couldn't fight off the grin from forming on his face.
There was a disgruntled growl on the other side, "Are all alchemists such noisy assholes?" the comment was laced with humor rather than any real bite and Ed laughed.
"That's chemist noisy asshole to you, jerk," this time, he chuckled, "Thanks for the help, I know how risky it is," he wanted to sound sincere, he hoped he did.
It was one thing enjoying the protection of the military behind your back while working for your own men, but it was another thing entirely supporting a soldier as a private person and enjoying the protection of no facility or institution, not even diplomatic immunity.
"Tch, right, right, don't get sappy on me, Elric. 'Sides, I owe you one for busting me out of that hacker scandal with Liore a while back," he sounded slightly sheepish.
Ed smirked, "Thankfully, Rose is a forgiving soul, I wouldn't know how to get you out of that one if she hadn't agreed to go out with you while deleting all the evidence before the major found out," he shook his head, "By the way, how is she? Still tolerating you, Derek?"
Another snort, "What is that supposed to mean you-"
"Hi Ed!" a new voice filled his ears and Ed smiled, face softening, "Of course, I'm tolerating him otherwise we wouldn't be together. He can be a jerk sometimes, but he's got a big heart," Edward suspected she either gave her boyfriend a quick kiss or pinched his cheek, both which would explain the embarrassed groan he could hear in the background.
"Rose! Please not in front of my clients!" Ed had to stifle the urge to laugh, right, 'client'.
"Client, huh? That's what you call your friends, Riverdale?" he couldn't help the teasing, for all the careless front the tech obsessed genius put up, he was every bit as much as the shy and moody boy Ed had gone to college with.
"Shut up, Elric! Do you want my help or not?!" he growled, no real bite behind it, "Just because we were study buddies and food enthusiasts in college doesn't mean I'll all mushy with you,"
Before he could retaliate with a retort of his own, he heard Rose again talking into the earpiece that belonged to Derek, "Oh, ignore him Ed, you know how he can get. Are you watching yourself out there? How is it going with Winry?"
His stance stiffened, fingers rising to tug nervously at the collar of his uniform as he swallowed, "Good, g-good, ya know I think I heard Colonel Smartass calling me, gotta hang up now, sorry Rose! Greet Derek from me!" he quickly hung up, not before hearing the giggle and bark of laughter coming from Rose and Derek respectively.
He ran a hand down his face in exasperation, groaning. Great. Now they would think he was some lovestruck fool.
Then again, it did sound a little suspicious asking a friend to spy, watch over, a female friend who-was-only-an-acquaintance-turned-friend-turned-penfrend-turned-good-friend.
He groaned again, running a hand through his hair, "Relationship problems, Fullmetal?" the sneering voice of none other than his superior rang in his ears obnoxiously caused Ed to straighten as a board.
"I'm not in a relationship, pyro freak!" he rounded on the smug dark-haired man, who stood with crossed arms and the smuggest look possible on a human being, "Put a sock in it!"
"How rude," Roy drawled, "I was sure the lovely young lady had gained your fancy, with you setting a spy on her and all," he enjoyed the disarmed look on Edward's face, who usually put a great deal of effort to conceal his feelings behind his soldier persona.
Edward cleared his throat, "It's not spying, it's called watching over a friend," he shuffled his feet and started walking toward one of the boxes in the middle of the barren space in the forest, burnt flecks of grass here and there from past bombs and grenades.
Roy followed, "Funny, I recall you have other friends and don't set people on them to watch over them," he rose an eyebrow in interest when Ed's shoulders shook in barely suppressed anger.
"…That's because two of them are martial experts and one of them even teaches the deadly stuff, another one is proficient with any sort of weapon and has the nickname Hawk's Eye for good reason and the other one is my brother's girlfriend and a little ticking time bomb with deadly use of throwing knives and medicinal poisons," he shuddered, thinking of how Mei's appearance really seemed misguided, considering her proficient use of her throwing knives, kunai, from her home country and using her medical knowledge to her advantage to coat the damn things in poisons and paralysis liquids.
Roy chuckled, "Ah and Winry is a helpless damsel in distress?"
Ed shot him a dark look, "I didn't say that," he grumbled as he kneeled down to pry open the box, inspecting their supply of ammunition and counting the days they would still have it until reinforcements arrived, "I'm just a worried friend trying not let his new friend get killed,"
Roy's expression softened, "I doubt she can't defend herself, according to Riza, Lena teaches her self defense moves from time to time and I hear she's quite formidable with a wrench or any other tool in her garage." He allowed himself a chuckle, "Besides, with the people who are her friends, I highly doubt any and all attempts at her life would be successful," seeing the look on the youth's face, Roy quickly added, "Not that any attempts would be made anyway,"
He sometimes forgot how young Edward really was, what with his vast knowledge in and outside the battlefield, as well as his attitude in battle and position as an authority figure, little details like that can easily be forgotten.
Roy sighed, clearing his throat, "Why haven't you attempted to open up to her? I'm sure she's not the judgmental type," he sensed the confusion from is friend and subordinate, "Your calls only last as long as it takes Hughes to whip out his pictures and shove them into my face, which happens every three minutes," he crossed his arms, watching Ed shut the lid of the box closed and stand to his full height, "You realize shoving down your feelings isn't-"
When he turned, Roy's words died in his throat. He recognized the hard edge his gold eyes took.
Edward Elric was gone and Fullmetal was in his place, "How are the reports from Armstrong on the inspection of Drachma's base near Briggs?" his voice lacked any emotion, but commanded authority and Roy clenched his fists, knowing it to be a sort of defensive mechanism Edward used whenever he treaded on uncomfortable topics.
He cleared his throat and straightened his spine, "She's sending out Buccaneer to investigate," he observed the creased forehead and the lifted, fair eyebrow.
"Just him alone?"
Roy nodded, "Yes, she deemed it safe enough to trust he won't be overpowered." His gaze trailed sadly over Ed's hardened features, the soldier was back in full force and traces of the young man were gone.
"I see," Edward tightened his white gloves before looked up at Roy with a steady gaze, "If you'll excuse me, I need to check our other supplies,"
Roy didn't attempt to stop him, merely watched as he walked away, back straight, gait practiced and stiff that came with years of discipline from the military being drilled into him and head held high.
He sighed and turned on his heel, only to be intercepted by Hughes, "He blocked you out, huh?" his expression was one of concern as he looked after Edward.
Roy shrugged, "Yeah, no good talking to him when he's like this," he looked thoughtful for a moment, before raising his eyebrow suspiciously, "Were you eavesdropping?"
Hughes grinned sheepishly, "You can't eavesdrop in a forest Roy, there are no walls to hide behind," he winked.
"You insufferable git," he grinned and lightly hit his friend's arm, making Hughes chuckle.
"I learned from the best," he winked and chuckled when Roy mumbled something under his breath.
"Well?"
He looked at the former intelligence officer curiously, "Well, what?"
Hughes' grin stretched further, "What's the status?"
Roy sighed heavily, shoulders slumped, "He's having her spied on," when Hughes shot him a disturbed and confused look, Roy elaborated plainly, "For protection,"
Maes looked the epitome of giddy, "I see it's going well! That boy ought to open up more with her around, I hear from my lovely Gracia that she's a diligent hard worker and really cute! Maybe she'll soften him a bit," he sighed sadly, shaking his head.
"You know, sometimes I forget how young he is…he has all his life still ahead of him…" he shot his friend a sideways glance, "Alphonse talks about their childhood sometimes," he felt uncomfortable, talking about it without any of the brother's present, "Since their mother's death and their father's untimely departure, Edward was forced to grow up and raise Alphonse for the better part of it." He bit his lip, eyes sad, "I wonder…how much pressure such a young boy can endure," his gaze moved toward the darkening skies, "Along with this war,"
Hughes hummed thoughtfully, sharing the same train of thought, "He didn't crack under the pressure, but…I'm afraid he will, sooner rather than later,"
All Roy could do was nod in agreement as a shadowy figure dressed in white and a fedora watched them silently from the sidelines, tattooed hands disappearing inside well-tailored pockets.
Edward marched forward, inspecting four more boxes until he spotted his brother and Ling conversing quietly to the side.
He was significantly calmer now, alone with his thoughts. He knew his sometimes abrupt switches of attitude lead some people to believe he had a dual personality disorder, but it helped ward off nosy questions that hit a little too close to home and protect himself.
It helped that Fullmetal, the soldier, could be strong where Edward Elric could not. It helped that Fullmetal was a formidable opponent on the battlefield that should under no circumstances be crossed, whereas Edward Elric was the little genius with a big mouth and a nose in a book.
It helped that all that Fullmetal felt was anger, apathy and nothing else much. He didn't feel remorse, didn't let feelings override his common sense and cold logic.
Fullmetal was simply better than Edward Elric.
And sometimes he felt like two people altogether.
Ed was the nice one. Fullmetal caused all the trouble. (A/N: Quote from Johnny Cash)
And they fought. Clashed more often than once. And at times, Edward didn't know who to listen to.
He knew, when it came to matters of the heart, that Elric was probably the better option to choose than his soldier persona.
But Fullmetal could shield off uncomfortable questions and make him not feel anything at all.
Feeling fatigue flooding his senses again, Edward turned his back to his brother and Ling, discreetly retrieving a small metal case and opening it quickly, popping a single pill into his mouth before swallowing roughly and shoving the metal box inside his jacket pocket.
He turned in time to be called by none other than Al, who waved him over.
His brother smiled at him but frowned when Ed got closer, eyes scanning carefully his brother's features, the eyes of a doctor, "Hey, are you okay brother? You look a little tired,"
Tired didn't even begin to explain how he felt, but he offered his concerned sibling a small smile instead, "I'm fine Al," he looked back and forth at Ling and him, "What did you guys talk about earlier?"
Ling shared a quick glance with his superior before speaking, "About that soldier I met at the border,"
Ed's mind quickly rushed through the memories and bits of information, it took him several long moments to remember, "Ah, Lieutenant… Vega, right?" his gaze narrowed, "What about him?"
Ling's lips drew into a thin line, "I lost him," Ed rose an eyebrow and Ling cleared his throat, "I planted a tracking device on him before he left but now I can't catch his signal, seems like he found it," the Xingese soldier sighed.
Ed frowned, "Why did you plant it on him anyway?"
It was Ling's turn to raise an eyebrow suspiciously, "Silly Ed, I told you about it when I got back. I suspected he was the one to plant those land mines or at least, that he was suspicious for carrying a potentially deadly medical equipment with him with no experience in the medical field," this time, he scanned Edward from head to toe, "Are you alright? You really do seem tired,"
Al's eyes softened in concern, "Brother…when has been the last time you slept?"
Ed's eyes widened, fist clenched at his side as he tried not to sweat, "Last night, why?"
Alphonse's gaze narrowed, "I asked Greed if he switched places with you for night duty and he said you shooed him off," he frowned, "Have you slept at all?"
Edward growled, "Drachma could attack us any time Al. Besides, it was only one night, I'll be fine once I sleep today," without further ado, he walked away from the pair of medics and Al noted the slightly slower pace. If one didn't spend as much time with Edward as he, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.
His eyes shot towards Ling, "What do you think?"
Ling shook his head, "He hasn't slept for at least 39 hours, that much I know," he crossed his arms, "Provigil?" Al's eyes narrowed in thought, going over his brother's symptoms to see if it matched with the drug.
Provigil was a well-known medication that promoted wakefulness during disturbing sleep patterns. It altered the natural chemicals, the neurotransmitters, in the brain and helped keep the consumer awake.
Many soldiers use drugs, whether to sleep more or stay awake. Some were terrified of falling asleep, not being able to bear the images of war and bloodshed that assaulted their minds during sleep. Others used drugs to stay awake, paranoid of nightly ambushes and high strung about dangers lurking at every corner and not ready to confront their nightmares.
"His eyes are red, he blinked a bit too often and he had trouble focusing and remembering the info you told him a few days ago." His gaze hardened, "I thought brother wouldn't resort to this," he sighed, "What do you think?"
Ling released a long, drawn out sigh, "I know from experience that Provigil is useful for staying awake on the odd shift here and there," he frowned in concern, "But sleep deprivation for over 40 hours can do quite a bit of damage to the body and mind." He searched around in his medical pouch, "I can give him something if you-"
Al held his hand out to stop his friend, "No, it would do no good if he mixed medications. Let the effects wear off and I'll have Greed knock him out at night so he can sleep," he shrugged at Ling's amused look, "You know as well as I do that a good knockout works wonders for a good rest,"
Ling laughed as he placed a hand on Al's shoulder, "With a brother like Greed, that's as true as anything,"
Riza smiled as politely as she could when Bradley regarded her posture in his office and the rather large stack of paperwork piled on his desk, "Are you sure you're alright with this arrangement?" his one visible eye slanted slightly in concern, "It is my duty as Führer to see to my duties, including paperwork, I would feel horrible to impair your future performance due to my own doing,"
Riza shook her head lightly, smiling, "I insist, sir. After all, I've done my share of paperwork and I have time to spare before my lessons,"
Bradley smiled, deep lines appearing on his aging face, "Thank you Lieut. General, I'll be sure to repay you in the near future," he tilted his hat to her and curled his hand around the door knob, "I bid you a good day," after she bid him farewell, she calmly walked toward his desk and began about going through his paperwork.
Fifteen minutes passed until she dared to stop, eyes slowly scanning the sliver of spaces left between the blinds to see if there were any moving figures outside of the office. Once she deemed it safe enough, she quickly moved to open the first drawer of his desk.
Much to her displeasure, it was locked.
Riza frowned, fingers deftly searching underneath the desk and sure enough after a bit of probing, she felt a small out of place ridge and gentle felt for cold metal, a small hole in the wood allowed her finger to touch the metal and slowly slide it out of the metal-like socket.
The key was small and fit right into the lock on the drawer.
She wasn't expecting to find what greeted her in there.
Messily drawn children's scrawls greeted her in a variety of colors and shapes and Riza's expression softened briefly before she discreetly lifted one end of the paper pile, finding only more underneath.
Did this man keep a drawer, a locked one, filled with his son's drawings? Riza felt warmth in her chest but her eyes narrowed.
Bradley was known to be usually cheerful and jovial, very approachable and a family man, perhaps he didn't talk about his family as excessively as Maes, but nobody doubted his affections for them. She quietly closed the drawer and locked it, fingers reaching for the second one beneath just as the door opened.
Heart lurching to her stomach abruptly, she quickly schooled her expression into the neutral, calm one she usually adopted as she discreetly placed her hands in her lap, pretending to be reading one of the papers in front of her.
It was Bradley, looking quite sheepish, "Apologies Lieutenant General, have I startled you?" years and years of war and working with people made her pick up on the very brief, very subtle changes in his face.
His eyes had narrowed for a fraction of a second, before his face relaxed into the usual friendly one around his subordinates as he looked at her expectantly, she smiled and shook her head, "Don't worry, sir, I've just been going through the other documents,"
His gaze trailed over his desk briefly, before his eyes fell on his desk lamp, which was dangerously close to the drawer Riza had just plundered.
His gait was steady as he approached his desk and Riza forced her muscles not to stiffen, knowing the man was years ahead of her concerning experience and would easily be able to discern a change in her posture, however subtle she tried to make it.
Tension in the room threatened to choke her as she watched him reach a hand out, obviously searching for something. Her heart beat sped up when he was dangerously close to reaching for his drawer, before he shook his head and snatched a small box from beside the lamp, "I've forgotten my wife's pastries, old age seems to be catching up to me," he laughed heartily, gingerly pocketing the small decorative box in his coat.
Riza offered an amused chuckle, smiling, "Quite the contrary sir, Borya wouldn't be getting as defensive as he is if that were the case," she nodded.
Bradley laughed, gaze moving over to the map filled with colorful pins, "I suppose, though I doubt it's any easier for that old crook," he grinned, raising a hand to wave at the blonde woman, "Thank you again Lieutenant General, I'll be seeing you tomorrow,"
Riza smiled and waved back, daring to move when she could no longer hear his footsteps after he shut the door quietly with a click.
Rubbing her throat, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves.
If she hadn't seen, on rare enough occasions, her superiors more serious and foreboding side, she would have begun to think a man as cheerful and silly as him didn't belong in the military.
But that was his strategy, at least she liked to think so.
Deceiving people into a fake sense of security by his friendly nature only to reveal his true side when the time was right.
She remembered Madam Christmas showing her the elite soldiers, Lust, Envy, Sloth…all under direct command from Bradley.
She wondered why the higher ups didn't notice this, as with every member of such institutions, regular check ups were done to minimize the possibility of a mutiny or covert operations done against the countries favor. If the information she had gathered of those soldiers were true, she couldn't believe their intentions for Amestris nor for them were good.
Quickly concentrating on the task at hand, Riza tried to slip the small key in the second drawer, finding it not to fit.
She rose an eyebrow staring at the key in her hand, trying and trying again to unlock the drawer without any success. She stood up, slipping the key back into it's original hiding place underneath the desk and searched nearly every nook and cranny of his office, finding no other small enough key to fit.
Finally giving up her search, the sharpshooter leaned against the desk and sighed, running over her neck and collarbone thoughtfully.
What could he be hiding?
Now, it wasn't uncommon, especially for people of such position, to put safety measures concerning their workplace as well private homes. She had failed to account for the possibility of him having a different key for every drawer, which made her search impossible to continue.
Perhaps he was carrying it on his person? Concealed at home?
Riza sighed, returning to quickly finish the mountain of paperwork before calling Sheska to deliver a message to Roy.
But then something stopped her right in the middle of signing her name on a letter from General Grumman.
She quickly fished out the key underneath the desk and opened the first drawer, drawings of Selim facing her again.
This time, she took her time in looking at each picture and her suspicions began to skyrocket.
Some of them were too precise, too clean for a very young boy to draw. Some lines seemed almost practiced, other ones were made deliberately smoother in contrast to the haphazard of other ones.
Her brows drew in in concentration, mind swimming with ideas, one more confusing than the next.
Could it be that Bradley was forging the drawings? Drawing them deliberately messily himself?
She shook her head, "Now you're being unreasonable, why would the man do that and find the time? For what purpose?" her lips smoothed into a thin line as she scanned the drawings again, "A trap? A trick? Unless he anticipated my snooping around, there was no reason for him to do this," she ground her teeth, "But not even if he did suspect something, what reason would he have?"
Decoys were usually meant to distract from exploiting the real target, but what could these pictures hide? She went through them again, finding even more at the bottom of the drawer, no hidden compartments, nothing.
She couldn't make sense of why a country leader would keep a drawer full of his child's drawings under lock and key like this.
With a disappointed sigh, Riza placed the drawings back into their original positions, rearranging them from memory how she found them.
Just before she closed the drawer shut, the top drawing of the pile caught her eye one last time before she locked it.
It was a drawing of Selim and his parents, smiling and standing near a big building, probably their house.
She swore there was something black resembling Selim's shadow beneath the child's drawn feet, whereas his parents had none.
There was the loud sound of the heavy doors shutting closed as Mrs. Bradley came to see whom her butler allowed entrance.
Her heart filled with joy when she saw her husband, dressed in his usual uniform.
As he placed his hat and overcoat on the coat rack, he almost stumbled slightly at the force of his wife's hug as she pulled him close, eyes softening at the elated expression on her face, "What a surprise! I didn't know you were coming home early," she smiled up at him and he couldn't help but chuckle.
Wrapping one arm around the small of her back and gesturing toward the living room with the other, the Führer smiled down at his wife and tenderly kissed her forehead, "Mrs. Mustang was so kind as to take my shift and fill in my paperwork for me," he smiled but released a noise of surprise and pain when his wife suddenly slapped the back of his head.
His wife sported a cross look, hands resting on her hips, "How could you let that poor woman work any more than she already does?! Go back to your office and allow her a free week, she works more than anyone I've heard before," Mrs. Bradley was a force to be reckoned with, especially if her seldom invoked wrath was directed at her husband.
The Führer rubbed at the back of his neck, before sighing, "Calm down dear, she reassured me it would be fine. I promised to repay her once she finishes my shift," he eyed her with his one visible eye, part amusement, part irritation, "You still have a mean slap, just like on our first encounter," he grinned cheekily.
She huffed, before taking his arm and leading him toward the living room, "Oh shush you! You're still the insufferable oaf you've been then," she giggled, patting his arm as they walked.
He placed a hand at her back and gently pushed her toward the living room, "I'll be right back my dear, let me just get Selim," she smiled and nodded, and he moved in the opposite direction, toward his office.
He opened the door to his private study and a smile curled his lips at the low voice that greeted him, "Did you succeed?"
Bradley gave a smile, "Yes, it seems like even the most perceptive people fail to notice the most obvious things," he chuckled, eyeing the back of his chair, "Playing again, Selim?"
The chair swiveled around, revealing his son, a dark look about his childish face, "Hm…" he rose an eyebrow, "Has she searched your things?" Bradley nodded.
"I suspect she has, it's a shame we couldn't give her a clue,"
Selim smirked, "Father ought to allow us more leeway," he released a soft chuckle, "…Has the Elric brat figured anything out? What about Greed? After Envy's last stunt, things should be escalating by now,"
Bradley shook his head, "Mustang has requested more assistance, nothing else. They sent the fallen to be given a proper burial," he paused, as if reminiscing, "Greed hasn't made a move yet, but the more we get involved, the more his resolve will crumble." He suddenly laughed, "Edward Elric is sure amusing, don't you think? All that studying of chemistry and alchemy and unable to decipher the symbol and its meaning,"
Selim licked his lips, if Bradley hadn't already been so accustomed to seeing this side of his son, he would have shivered in fear, "I suppose a more direct approach is in order,"
And then, with the study only being illuminated by a soft orange glow from the lamp, the play of shadows created distorted shapes all around Selim, a wicked grin curling his lips. Bradley smiled, "Always one for dramatics," he watched the bloodthirsty look in his eyes, "Pride,"
He jumped off the chair and the shadows were gone, revealing the innocent, childish face of Selim Bradley once more. Just before the father-son pair exited the study, Pride whispered, "Send Gluttony in,"
Phew, a lot happening, huh? Finally the plot's continuing and we'll get to see Gluttony in action next chapter! What may happen then? Stay tuned! :)