Chapter 3
Pretty
Winry brushed her teeth and hair, and contemplated a shower before deciding against it – she didn't want to disturb the bandages on her ankle so soon. She took two of the pills, washed them down with a glass of water, then limped to the middle of the room and shut off the single lightbulb with a yank on the attached cord. She was plunged into complete and total darkness, and it was by vague memory that she staggered her way back to the bed.
It felt like admitting defeat to be sleeping in the enemy stronghold, but Winry told herself she was not giving in – she was simply gathering strength for another escape attempt.
The complete blackness was really kind of eerie. Even out in the backwoods of Risembool, there was starlight so you could at least see your hand in front of your face. But here, she couldn't even see her nose if she crossed her eyes.
It was quite creepy – she could be the only thing alive here, apart from the breathing of the chimeras...which in its own way, was even more unsettling. Lying in the dark hearing disembodied breathing was the stuff nightmares were made of.
Winry predicted difficulty in getting to sleep.
-xxx-
But Winry must have slept, because she was blinking awake in total darkness, disorientated and wondering how much time had passed. Her ankle was throbbing again – the painkillers had obviously worn off – but she felt rested, so she figured she might as well get up.
If she stayed here, this was really going to mess with her internal clock.
The blonde swung out of the bed and limped towards where she thought the light switch was, waving her arms blindly in hopes of hitting it. She felt the cord knock against her wrist, and groped in the nearly-solid blackness for a second before she wrapped her fingers around it and yanked.
The sudden wash of light made her eyes burn, and she blinked for long moments as she waited for them to adjust.
When they did, the first thing Winry did was check on her chimera patient. She was tempted to take another painkiller, but decided against it – Pride had looked so pissed off about giving them to her she wasn't sure when she'd get more, so it was probably best to ration them.
"Hey girl," she muttered, stroking the chimera's skin. There was no real visible difference between its condition yesterday and its condition today, but Winry supposed there wouldn't be – it would take more than the removal of the bone and one meal for the animal to recover.
"I need to call you something," she mused. "I mean, grumpy Croc-Head over there doesn't need any more sophisticated name than that, but I feel we've got a real relationship going...even if it's only because you're probably too exhausted and starving to bite me."
-xxx-
Pride scowled at the door in front of him, wondering why Father kept having him deliver the meals. Dammit, he'd told Father he thought Ed's emotions were starting to screw with his brain – why was the man intentionally sending him back to the very source of his confusion?
Unless Father wanted him to somehow conquer this...thing. But how could you control emotions? Humans seemed to be their utter slaves...but he was a homunculus, and he was better than them!
Wasn't he?
But he hadn't even realised he was cuddling Win-the human until she'd pointed it out. If logic and rational thinking could be so completely overwhelmed like that, Pride could almost sympathise with the human race. What must it be like to constantly want to be in someone's presence, to feel driven to do things for them because you liked them?
Pride had a sinking feeling he was starting to find out.
He opened the door to find one of the more bizarre sights he'd seen in his lifetime. The mechanic was sitting on the floor, her wrapped ankle extended to one side...and a chimera's head in her lap.
It was that skinny one, the one Father suspected was sick and thus might have to be replaced soon, and Pride calmed a little knowing that it was probably allowing her to caress it was because it was too exhausted to put up a fight.
"Found a friend?" he grumped, setting down the bowl of porridge that would serve as her breakfast.
"Her name is Pretty," Winry corrected, standing slowly, with a wince of pain that Pride found difficult to watch.
"You're calling that thing Pretty?" he snorted, trying to use sarcasm to distract himself from her limping, shuffling gait.
"Well, I'm not about to call her ugly," Winry snapped, glaring at him as she settled into the chair.
Pride rolled his eyes and stalked out, seizing the carcasses he'd left outside the door and heaving them in, all but throwing them at the chimeras. The healthy one sprang upon its food immediately, ripping and tearing with such fervour that Pride began to worry it had been a bad idea to feed them and Win-the human at the same time. Would she be put off her meal by the sight and sound of the chimera feeding?
Apparently not, because she was devouring her porridge with gusto. But automail engineers had to do surgery stuff as well, didn't they? So it made sense she'd have a strong stomach.
"What do you want?" she muttered between spoonfuls. "Creepy guy told you to cripple me some more or something?"
"You know that attitude doesn't exactly soften me towards you," the homunculus commented.
"I don't like people who drug and kidnap me – I'm irrational like that. And by the way, how long are you planning to keep me here? I have a shower, which is nice and all, but if you're planning to leave these as my only change of clothes it might become a problem."
"Give 'em a wash yourself if you're so worried about that," Pride grumbled. There was no real reason for him to remain, but he wanted to stay, and he was irritated at himself for wanting to stay. He was a homunculus – he was better than this!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got – if Father was so eager to spawn him from human limbs, couldn't he have chosen some that didn't belong to a human who, by the feel of it, was head over heels for the mechanic? Why couldn't he have just chosen some random stranger who had never even met the Rockbell girl and who would feel absolutely nothing at being in her presence?
"You're not even that pretty!" he blurted at her, storming out and slamming the door behind him.
Winry was left staring after him, puzzling over how that related in any way to what they'd been discussing. And trying to suppress memories of Ed's similar, bizarre rejoinders when they had an argument – how did the fact that she wasn't cute relate to maintenance of his automail?
"Ah, who cares?" She muttered, half to her bowl of porridge and half to Pretty. "He may give me meals and everything, but he's a jerk."
She finished her breakfast swiftly, before slowly rising and limping over to Pretty, who was chewing feebly at...whatever it was she'd been given.
"You'll be all better soon, won't you?" the blonde mused. "Then you'll probably be back to growling at me again."
She felt a twinge of regret at the idea; that the only creature she could actually count as something approaching a companion would soon be willing to go for her jugular if she lingered at the door too long. She gave a wistful pat to the chimera's shoulder, rubbing the thin, velvety fur companionably before dragging herself over to the small bathroom section of her prison.
If the vent was out, and the door was out...well, she had other ideas.
-xxx-
Winry paused in her wrestling with the steel plate surrounding the pipe that led the toilet's contents away from the cell and presumably into some kind of sewer.
It had been about three days since she'd started on this plan (at least, she thought it was three days – she'd slept and risen three times, which was her best estimate of time) and it was showing depressingly little progress. Granted, all she had to work with was cutlery and the screws she'd obtained from the vent, but a stupidly optimistic part of her had been hoping that the steel plate would lever up, revealing a nicely-sized hole around the pipe that, after removing said plumbing, she could fit through easily. Apparently this was going to be one long, hard slog to get rid of the metal plate, then get rid of the pipe, then somehow squeeze through the hole and hopefully gain her freedom.
It was taking so long Winry wondered if she shouldn't just tip the bed up again and work on chipping away at the concrete blocking the vent – it would probably be faster. And Pride might be less likely to notice the damage as he never looked at the ceiling; lately he just shoved her meals at her and walked out, muttering under his breath. But of course, working on the ceiling would require her to be able to balance on the bed again, a prospect that didn't look bright with a twisted ankle.
'Face it, it's not as though you have better options,' she told herself. 'It's either long, mind-numbing work to clear an exit, or try the door and get your face bitten off.'
Winry cast a glance at Croc-Head and the now much healthier-looking Pretty. This had been the first day she'd avoided contact with her previous patient – the chimera was looking just too well-rested and energetic for Winry to feel comfortable putting herself near those teeth.
As though aware of her gaze, both chimeras raised their heads. Croc-Head simply lay back down again, but Pretty rose and trotted to the very limits of her chain, where she stood making noises that sounded quite like whimpers, her reptilian tail sliding back and forth on the floor as though in some parody of a wag.
In fact, Winry couldn't help noticing the chimera looked very much like Den when the dog was begging for attention and a scratch on the head.
Was it possible Pretty wanted the same – did she want more of the attention Winry had bestowed on her while she was out of commission? It was the cliché of practically every heart-warming animal-human bond story...but a cliché with a basis in fact. While injured the animal was unable to attack you, but while it was incapacitated it adjusted to your presence and learned that you were not a threat.
And Croc-Head seemed rather antisocial – definitely took after the crocodile part of the mix-up – so if she assumed Pretty's canine side outweighed her reptile side...then it was likely she was instinctively seeking out a potential 'pack'.
Winry still approached warily; Pretty might not have teeth as fearsome as Croc-Head's, but they would certainly do a lot of damage.
The chimera wriggled expectantly as she approached, the whining only increasing in volume. Tentatively, Winry patted Pretty on the head, and a forked tongue licked at her fingers happily. The blonde ran a firm hand over the chimera's spine, and Pretty arched into the caress.
"Good girl," she muttered absently.
She couldn't help but feel sorry for Pretty – so desperate for company and attention that she attached herself to whoever offered the meagrest hint of it.
Winry ran her fingers over the collar, loosing the buckle that held it closed and letting the thick leather and attached chain clatter to the ground. This time, when she limped back to the toilet to resume scraping and tugging at the metal, the chimera accompanied her, claws clicking on the concrete, whuffing happily.
-xxx-
Pride cursed – loudly and vociferously – as he carried a plate down the corridor once again. This time it featured chicken and a small salad; humans required balanced diets to remain healthy.
There had been no overt signs of Win-the human trying to renew her escape attempt, but Pride knew she hadn't given up. There was no air of defeat about her, no sign of resignation – not the slightest hint that she'd accepted her fate as a hostage and was prepared to cooperate.
She'd even made friends with one of the chimeras – a vicious monster designed to attack her to keep her imprisoned, and she'd gone and turned it into a devoted puppy that never left her side. She kept it off its chain, was teaching it some commands – to sit, stay, come when she called – and even let it sleep on the bed with her!
Pride knew he should have informed Father that one of the chimeras had been compromised, but every time he opened his mouth to tell him, he'd remember the expression of pure joy on Win-the human's face as the chimera's long tongue snaked out to lick at her cheek...and he'd find himself utterly incapable of taking that away from her.
Just more proof that this was a bad idea – he should take himself away from this, should tell Father she could probably persuade him to help her escape or something, anything so he could get away from her. He had originally thought he could be logical about this – that...whatever...he was feeling for the mechanic would either pass or would be easy to squash.
Not so. Pride was actually beginning to pity humans; if their emotions were even half as intense, they must spend their lives being led around by them. Either that, or their every spare moments would be spent battling against them.
It had been the speed at which these...emotions...consumed him that had really thrown him. Though perhaps that could be explained by their intensity – did Edward Elric really feel this much for the girl?
Still, he supposed it only boded well for their cause; if the Elric boy felt as he did, then he would be falling over himself to do as they said and keep her safe.
He unbarred the door, opened it and entered. Win-the human was behind the curtain that hid the bathroom area, as Pride could see her companion's long tail peeking out beneath it.
He barely had time to set the plate down before she was scrambling out from behind the cloth, looking almost nervous. Pride said nothing, just turned on his heel and walked out, shutting and barring the door behind him.
Maybe if he limited his contact with her, this...thing...would go away.
Of course, he'd been limiting his contact ever since he'd bandaged his ankle, and it hadn't really done any good – in fact, it had only intensified his need. Was this how addicted humans felt when they needed a fix? If so, they had his sympathies.
-xxx-
The door opened, and Winry jerked awake as the beam of light stabbed across the room. Pretty stirred, raising her head from where she'd been sleeping at Winry's feet – bad habits for a pet, especially such a large one, but the blonde had found it reassuring to feel the chimera there, to have physical proof that she was not alone in the crushing darkness that descended every time she turned out the light.
There was a lean figure silhouetted in the doorway, and she realised it was Pride.
She had a moment to be amused – and satisfied – at the fact that it was becoming easier to distinguish him all the time; she didn't draw parallels between him and Ed any more. Her brain had adapted, and was now focusing on the differences to distinguish them, just as someone who knew identical twins could tell them apart because their brain focused on the differences.
Pride had become a separate entity in her mind, only reminding her of Ed in passing, or when he made an expression Ed often wore.
At first, Winry thought she'd slept through the usual breakfast time (if there was a usual breakfast time – it wasn't as though she could tell) until she realised he held nothing in his hands.
That meant this wasn't a meal visit, and at that realisation the blonde scrambled out of bed, Pretty hopping to the ground beside her, the fine hairs along the chimera's back standing up as she picked up on Winry's distress.
The mechanic's first thought was that they'd found Ed and they were about to drag her out of here to display her. That was followed by the other, rather more grim possibility – that they'd been unable to find Ed and Al, and had decided her captivity was a waste of resources and she should be killed.
The set, intense expression on Pride's face only strengthened that possibility. Winry began to wonder what she could possibly do if he came at her – it wasn't as though she had anything to defend herself with.
Pride yanked violently on the light's cord as he passed, and Winry had to blink the coloured spots from her eyes as light suddenly flooded the room.
Hands closed around her shoulders, and she became aware Pride had closed the distance between them. She pushed against his chest automatically, trying to force him away from her, but it was like trying to shove one of the walls surrounding her; the impact shot up her arms but the homunculus in front of her didn't even rock back on his heels.
Pretty was growling softly, her tail lashing from side to side in her agitation.
Winry swallowed, her suddenly-dry throat constricting as she hissed, "What do you want?"
"What do I want?" Pride repeated slowly, and the mechanic had the sinking feeling she'd just pissed him off further. "What do I want? I want you to get out of my head!"
"Wha-?" Winry's puzzled mutter was cut off when Pride shook her, as though he were trying to punish a disobedient puppy.
"How did you do it – how? Do you have some kind of weird alchemy that lets you do things like this? Or are you just so much in Ed's head that you're in mine by default?"
"Uh..." Winry was scrambling frantically for some response that would mollify him. Unfortunately she was getting the feeling that no such thing existed, and that any reply from her would simply goad him further.
Another shake, another near-shriek of frustration. "Why can't I stop thinking about you? Why do I feel like cheering you up every time you look the slightest bit upset? Why do I want to bust you out of here every time I see you limp across the room?"
The next thing Winry knew, he was kissing her.
At least, if that could be called be a kiss. It was more like blunt pressure smashing her lips against her teeth, a hand on the back of her neck pinning her in place. Winry let it continue for approximately two seconds, too shocked to do anything, but then sanity returned and she tried to shove him away.
Of course, it did nothing, so she tried biting him. He hissed – she could feel his breath as though it were her own – but didn't pull back. Pretty was barking wildly, obviously distressed but not daring to attack her homunculus master.
The mechanic thrashed like a landed fish, trying to scream but only making a high, keening noise in the back of her throat. She tried to bring her knee up between Pride's legs, but before she'd even touched him he drew away with a howl of rage.
Pretty had fastened her teeth in the homunculus' thigh and as Winry watched, the chimera shook her head from side to side violently, tearing flesh and sinew away. The wound healed instantly, of course, and Pretty dodged Pride's reflexive swipe to bound in front of Winry, snarling protectively.
Pride cursed, and the shadows along the walls and floor rippled and writhed, then sprang up like snakes ready to strike.
Acting purely on instinct, Winry fell to the floor and threw her arms around the creature who had defended her, hoping Pride wouldn't attack if it meant injuring her. Proven correct when the shadows stuttered in mid-air and then collapsed back into quiescence once more, she stared up at him, not daring to move. She felt as though she were frozen in front of some predator's gaze, and the slightest shift on her part would provoke an attack.
Pride glared down at her, and for a moment Winry could have sworn she saw something close to remorse flicker in his eyes. But she must have been mistaken, because he turned away with a few low profanities and strode from the cell, slamming the door behind him.
Winry was left crouched on the floor, her sprained ankle throbbing in rebuke for her hasty drop, her arms around a chimera (still growling softly), lips bruised and wet and feeling more confused than she'd ever been in her life.
"What the hell was that?" she muttered, wiping her mouth.
And trying not to think about how Pride kissing her was sort of like Ed kissing her...at least physically.
-xxx-
"Shit."
It was really all Pride's mind seemed capable of spitting out.
"Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit!"
Still, he felt it summed up the situation nicely.
That little display had gone well beyond a few too-affectionate thoughts, which he had foolishly assumed would be the extent of this plague. Annoying and disturbing, sure, but he'd never expected anything like...like that!
Even thinking back on it, it seemed as though he must have been possessed, and indeed that was what it had felt like. He had been sitting on one of the upper levels, staring down at the chimeras that roamed the halls, idly daydreaming...and somehow, his thoughts had wandered to Win-the human.
They hadn't been idle, harmless musings, either. No, before he knew it – before he could stop his brain from venturing into stupidity – he had been wondering what it would be like to kiss her. What it would feel like to press that soft, slender body against his...
He shook his head roughly and slammed it back against the stone behind him with enough force to leave a human brain-damaged.
This had gone on far too long.
He knew what he had to do.
-xxx-
AN: Thanks to justcallmefaye for beta-ing this.