"Where do I start..." the woman mused. Her frame was neatly folded into her chair, her hands placed carefully in her lap as she tried to decide on how to introduce herself to her newest victim.
"How about answering my question, who are you?" The woman thought about the suggestion, annoying Edward even more.
"Well, I suppose that's as good a start as any. My name is Gabrielle Monnett. I had a very troubled childhood, growing up in the 5th laboratory, and I thought I would die miserable and alone. One day, a man came and offered me happiness, he offered me freedom. His name was Greed." Ed gasped.
"You knew Gr-" The woman, Gabrielle, held up her hand, motioning for him to not interrupt her story.
"Greed was a very interesting man. He knew about a lot of things, and yet at the same time he was very naive. Greed had always said he wanted everything you could ever imagine, but at the same time he never knew what he truly desired. I knew this, and as many times as I tried to make him see the error of his ways, before tragedy could strike, he always ignored me like the fool he was. Even so, Greed was the love of my life. He was so beautifully flawed, his imperfections were so alluring, I could not help but fall in love. I confessed my love to him, and he accepted me. I felt like the luckiest woman alive that day, though my joy was short-lived. It did not take long before I realized Greed had only accepted my love because it partially filled his appetite for women. He never truly felt the same way for me. He did not love me as a soul mate, as his eternal partner 'till the end of our days, he only loved me as one of his precious possessions, like a child loves his favorite toy. He broke my heart, and I could never truly forgive him for that. I left Greed, knowing that he would be very upset, losing one of his possessions. I was secretly pleased at the thought of him upset, but at the same time my heart ached. I knew I would never stop loving him."
"One day, while I was passing through a town by the name of Dublith, I heard a rumor passed around through the crowds of people at the market. A man who called himself Greed had recently taken residence in a club, called the Devil's Nest. I also heard he was seeking for a way to become truly immortal. I knew immediately that I had to go see him. I would probably would have had to fall to knees and beg, but I would have done it if it meant being by his side again. I gathered what little belongings I carried with me and my courage, and I began the search for the Devil's Nest. It took me about a day, considering I had to ask for directions constantly and it had turned out I was on the other side of town. After all that time, I had managed to find my way back to Greed. However, there had been other forces at play during my trek to the Devil's Nest. Someone had broken in and they had fought Greed. Not only that but the Amestrian military had planned a full-scale assault on the Devil's Nest and it's inhabitants. I had arrived too late. The entire place was covered in blood, bodies lying here and there throughout the rooms, bullet holes and other injuries evident on them. I made my through the entire club, my heart in my throat as my imagination ran away from me, making me believe the worst. My love, Greed, dead. A small voice in the back of my head said it was impossible, after all he possessed the Ultimate Shield. I traveled through the corridors, finding more and more bodies and blood covering everything. I noticed someone had broken through and escaped into the sewers, and hope fluttered in my chest."
"Making my way through the sewers, I saw the bodies of two chimeras, one sliced in half, the other a spear through the head. Their blood tainted the murky waters of the sewers, and that's where I saw him. The body of my beloved, unmoving, covered in too much blood, I knew there was no way he could survive. My heart shattered into a million pieces as I lifted his head onto my lap, my tears blurring my vision. I remember whispering 'I love you' before his body dissolved into black ash before my eyes. It was that day that I swore revenge on whoever had done that to my Greed, as well as a promise to have him by my side soon. That is how I ended up here, where you see me today." Gabrielle's story left Ed's head spinning.
"So... you're exacting your revenge on me? Is that why you're doing this?" Ed wasn't sure how to phrase all of the questions dancing in his mind.
"Yes and no. I am going to impose my revenge on you, but that's not why I'm doing this. My plan is to use the state alchemists to create a philosopher's stone."
"Well, I figured out that much. Am I going to be a part of your philosopher's stone?" Gabrielle smiled.
"No, you have a much more important role," Gabrielle drawled, making sure to keep Edward's attention as she exposed her plan. "You are going to be Greed's new body when I transmute him back into existence."