A long blast of the train's whistle and a burst of steam surrounding the car welcomed Lust to her new destination. Of her own accord, the homunculus wouldn't have considered stopping in such a small village. Not unless an outside force necessitated such a circumstance.
But the blond picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder as he stepped onto the platform constituted the reason for the stop, and Lust couldn't truly find it within herself to complain. Especially when she saw the stiffness with which he walked ahead of her.
"That leg has seen better days, Fullmetal. I've seen the elderly move at a swifter pace." The taunt rolled off her lips automatically.
"Shut up! That's why we're here, remember? It needs a tuneup." Irritation flashed across Edward's face at the barb when he turned to face her… at least before he saw her smirk. "Oh, c'mon! I'm not that bad!"
Her grin only grew as she tightened her coat over her chest to cover the tattoo. "Lead the way."
Edward paused, eyeing her from head to toe. "Is that all you have?" he asked, gesturing to the single bag she carried over her shoulder.
"Why? Did you expect me to have more? You're traveling lightly as well."
"... fair point. Doesn't make much sense to haul a lot of things with me when I don't plan on staying very long in any one place." Ed gave a slight nod in approval then gestured for her to follow. "Oh, before I forget, what alias are you using?"
"You mean you don't want to introduce your companion as a woman going by the name of 'Lust'? I cannot fathom why that might be," she enunciated.
Ed rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, yeah. What do I call you?"
"Oh, the answers I could give you for that. The possibilities are rather limitless. I have several favorites I might recommend that would be fitting rolling off your tongue, Fullmetal." Lust's own tongue ghosted over her lower lip, prompting the blond to look away while uneasily shifting his weight. "But for the sake of this scenario? Solaris will suffice."
"Could be worse." He led them down the side street from the station and onto the main road through town.
The first observation Lust had upon entering the sleepy village of Rush Valley was the distinct lack of paved roads and automobiles. Several horses were tied up in front of the rustic clay and wooden buildings, and an occasional cart was seen in another dirt-packed street. The pair had to wait for one such horse-drawn conveyance laden with tools and assorted metal equipment to pass in front of them before they crossed the dusty street.
"Charming," Lust commented dryly. "This is the second village I've been in recently without modern transportation. I'm sensing rather a theme with these outlying regions."
Ed let out a slight chuckle. "Yeah? You should see Resembool. You get real used to walking."
"Certainly a far cry from Central."
"Indeed." He guided them to a nondescript open-front shop. Above the door was a large sign that boasted the name 'Atelier Garfiel'. Inside the open storefront were two individuals hard at work over a steaming forge and a crafter's table respectively.
The forge's heat accentuated the ruddy appearance of the dark blond haired lad tending it, half-turned away from them. He looked to be in his early teens, on the cusp of manhood yet lacking the muscularity and full height that came with a more advanced age. Lust couldn't help but internally laugh at the similarities between him and the older blond beside her. Fullmetal had much the same stubborn look on his face when their paths had first crossed.
The man at the table made up for his scrappy apprentice. His broad shoulders and black hair suggested he was nearing middle age. He handled a hand cannon with ease, fitting it into a metal joint that appeared to be an artificial leg. Here was someone who knew his way around his craft, and Lust eyed him with unveiled appreciation. She wasn't deterred by the mildly effeminate aura he exuded. She had been with men more comfortable in the embrace of their own sex, yet exceptions had been made for her specifically. Charm has its benefits, she thought idly. Perhaps this small town would offer someone receptive to attending her needs.
"I see you finally found a replacement for Winry," Edward said loudly by way of greeting.
The man's head snapped up, and he cupped his cheek in his hand when he caught sight of them. "Why, nobody could replace sweet Winry! But with all the customers she helped bring in, I simply couldn't handle it all on my own. Is she with you, Edward? We could desperately use her help!"
She had been right to expect the lilting falsetto from him. But Lust kept her mental celebration to herself and watched the exchange with a neutral expression on her face.
"Nah. Granny's starting to slow down, so Winry's taken over most things back in Resembool. Seems the old lady's age is finally catchin' up to her," the blond laughed. "Who's the kid?"
"The kid has a name." Said teen in question took the piece of metal he was heating from the forge and doused it in a trough of water beside him. Steam billowed as he turned but it wasn't enough to cover the irritation on his face. "It's Callum."
This time she couldn't hide her laugh. Apart from the eye color and a darker shade of blond, the teen was the spitting image of the Fullmetal Alchemist beside her. She covered her mouth in an attempt to quell her amusement but to no avail.
"My, I see you've found yourself quite a lovely new traveling partner as well. Aren't you going to introduce us?"
Lust could've sworn she saw a hint of a blush dust Edward's face. But he lifted his chin and his voice was nonchalant as he answered.
"This is Solaris. And Solaris, this is Garfiel, the best automail mechanic in Rush Valley."
"Oh, Edward, you flatter me," Garfiel tittered. "I would hardly say I'm the best but my following has grown dramatically, especially when Miss Winry was here. People are still calling and stopping in, asking when she'll be returning."
"Just like what happens back in Resembool if she's out on a call. Granny told me the same thing about when she was out here. She sure is popular," Ed said fondly.
"And skilled at what she does! It's no wonder that everyone loves Miss Winry!"
Lust fought the urge to roll her eyes and sank onto a nearby straight-back chair. From what she'd heard about the blonde girl, she was skilled with automail– something that held little interest to her. But Ed's infatuation with her was clear from the faint scent of arousal emanating from him, and the blush on his cheeks the more he talked about her. Pity he didn't have the balls to actually do anything about it.
"Well now, if you're not with Miss Winry, does that mean that you're here because you need some work done?" Garfiel asked. "Wait, I already know the answer to that, just by the way you're standing. Where are my manners?! Do have a seat here and Callum will bring a stool to rest your leg on. It must really be aching for you to be so unbalanced!"
"Yeah, I guess I've been kinda neglecting it," he admitted while he sank into the proffered chair and worked on unhooking the automail from his leg. "So I figured I'd better stop by and pay everyone a visit while getting it fixed up."
The exposed flesh of Edward's stump was red, and the mechanic clicked his tongue upon seeing it. He bustled off with the automail, leaving Ed and Lust alone in that part of the workshop.
The homunculus made no effort to hide her stare. It was odd, for lack of a better term, to see that Fullmetal was less than whole, at least physically. It was even more jarring to think that even less of him had been there when she had fought him before her demise.
She had evidently been staring for too long though. Edward gave the stump a wiggle, snapping her out of her thoughts. Looking at his face, she caught the lopsided grin he gave her that conveyed… she didn't know what exactly, but it made her feel uncomfortable – for him, rather than herself.
"You know, a guy's gonna get a little self-conscious if you keep looking at them like that, Lust," Edward remarked, the humor in his voice sincere and likely honed by numerous past occasions when unwanted gazes fixed themselves on his automail.
Lust's face did not color, and her expression did not change. She did, however, rise to her feet with a haste that was almost unbecoming. Clenching a fist tightly behind her back, she muttered something about needing air and strode out of the workshop.
The image of what she had seen was difficult to remove from her thoughts. The reddened, gnarled skin of the scarred stump where his body had once been whole. The maze of metallic fittings embedded in the remaining flesh of his thigh to allow the automail to be connected. Such colors and textures painted a stark contrast to the pale hands massaging the remnants of his leg. Overall, she found herself fascinated by the unnatural state of his body, and Lust was once more reminded of the fragility of the human form.
Was that fragility the reason she was so disturbed by the nonchalance of Fullmetal in handling his damaged limb? Yes, he was disfigured and forced to rely on an artificial construct to maneuver through his daily life. Even still, he appeared completely unaffected in his resiliency and determination to not allow it to interfere with his goals.
And what had she done but attempt to continually thwart his progress when it went against her agenda? Rightfully so, was it not? She was created to embody the desires, the lusts of Father. She had an inerrant purpose, to fulfill the will of her creator. Yet time and again, this child proved himself to be a thorn in their side, to the point of bringing about Father's demise. This she had pieced together in the days following her reawakening.
None of this could fully explain why she felt so disturbed by the sight of his missing limb. Dismemberment was not on her list of kinks, despite the bloodlust that occasionally prevailed through her actions. Perhaps, therefore, a portion of her maintained a conscience? There were limits to even the actions she partook in. She was not Wrath, nor did she have any desire to be. Each of the homunculi had individual strengths, and despite the loss of the others, she would remain true to her own.
She didn't pay much attention to where her footfalls were carrying her. It didn't matter. What was more worrisome was the effect these emotions were having upon her. The lingering discomfort was superseded with a foreign nagging at the back of her head. She was not responsible for the loss of limbs that Fullmetal suffered! And yet, this strange sensation persisted. Was it due in part to the concept of fighting a child who had endured such suffering as to lose a limb? For that matter, how much did she truly know of what he experienced? She had limited knowledge gleaned from conversations with her fellow homunculi prior to her fateful encounter with Colonel Roy Mustang.
Out of habit, she had made her way through the markets to the food stalls. She purchased several large steamed buns, then made her way to a small seating area near an open cafe. Lust took a seat and undid the wrapper. Steam rose from the package when she lifted up and bit into one of the buns. Heat flooded over her tongue with the warm, comforting taste of the pork filling. The sensation momentarily cleared her mind and brought her focus back to her present location and predicament.
She gazed down at the food in her hands. The clarity afforded to her made a difference. Upon reflection, she couldn't flee from the discomfort that had driven her away from the shop for long. Regardless of what laid behind such thoughts and emotions, she couldn't allow herself the luxury to dwell on them. Such ruminations would prove futile for the present. Doubtless, her companion was already questioning her absence and her motivations for her abrupt departure. And who wouldn't were they in a similar position? Certainly she was in no position to judge.
She wrapped up the bun once more, her appetite waning. Perhaps she would feel more like eating once she returned to the distraction of banter with the alchemist and mechanic. She internally scoffed. All these questions swirling and struggling for her attention. Uncomfortable things to ponder– brought about by the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric.
Lust went to rise from her seat, but a hand clasped her shoulder from behind, keeping her firmly in place.
"It ain't often I see such a pretty woman around, least ways in a tiny town. You don't got automail either. So hon, why're you here?" The rough man's voice came a handbreadth from behind her ear.