acatalepsy_ooc | test drive # 2

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test drive # 2

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test drive meme #2

It happens in the blink of an eye.

One moment, you are home. Perhaps you are with your family, perhaps you are at work. It's a completely normal day . . . and then, suddenly, your stomach drops. You are overcome with a sudden sense of vertigo. You cannot see up, or down, or where you are.

All you hear is a voice -- light, bubbly, warm, soothing, in your ear:

Don't worry, darling. This won't hurt a bit~ ♥

For those who recognize the voice, it will sound a bit strained. Possibly tired. But the moment happens so quickly it's hard to pin down, and once that moment is over, you fall flat on your face. It's dim, damp, with the trickling of what feels like rain. It takes a few moments for you to gain composure, to catch your breath. You think, for half a moment, that a hand is on your back, rubbing between your shoulder blades in comfort, but when you open your eyes, no one is there. You are surrounded by ancient stone buildings, with carvings you do not recognize etched into the stone. There's a sense of nausea, overwhelming and sudden, when you realize you aren't in Kansas anymore.

And, of course, because this is just your luck.

It's raining.

THE TEMPLE OF BEGINNINGS.

Welcome to the "Home Base" of Astoria's Circle. What the actual name of the base is called is lost to the ages, and there's no sense of where you could find it, unless you started asking around.

At any rate, this is a central hub of the Circle, a place of powerful magic and mysterious energy. It is a scattering of ancient stone buildings and for the most part, it looks abandoned . . . except for what seems to be a few items, some rooms taken, items moved or organized, even a small garden planted. These are just the smallest hints that there are people here that have been here before you arrived.

For some, this place is home. For others, this strange land is new and dark, like a haze has settled in the air. The creatures in the forest seem to be stirring, and every now and then the sky will open up, and a storm will pass through, in varying degrees of intensity. Some will be easy spring showers, others will be angry, thunderous storms.

Not exactly the most welcoming place, but it's a start.

Overall, it's fairly beautiful. However, it is definitely not modern.

Upon exploration, you find that the buildings are kept up by some kind of magic. Some of the rooms have items, things from other Circle members already settled, and others appear to be unclaimed. Pick your rooms, explore the grounds, see the beauty and wonder all around you in such a magical place. The rain makes everything feel a bit softer, but also eerie, like there is a secret being kept just on the outside of your vision.

Of course, this means you have free reign. This place seems easy enough to figure out on your own, with enough time to take a walk around! However- members who recognize this place may notice the lack of a certain figure, the grounds feeling a bit more empty, more abandoned, than they did before.

IT'S A FIELD OF . . . POPPIES?

The buildings of the Temple of Beginnings span out across a fair-sized field, intermixed with trees, open grassy planes, outside sitting areas, fire rings, and other oddly ancient but somehow structures. With the mist and the rain, everything feels a bit more ethereal, like there is life to every inch of what you see before you. Or like you've stumbled into some kind of alternate world. Around the temple is a ring of stones that do not seem to move no matter what characters may attempt, and beyond that is the forest.

The forest itself is more than just impressive - it is near-overwhelming. An impossibly ancient stretch of woods that crackle with magical energy. Within, there is all matter of fauna and flora, darting from tree trunk to tree trunk. The canopy is thick enough to shield from the worst of the rain, but still the water gets through, dripping down through the leaves and dampening the ground under your feet. While there is always a sense of wonder - and possible danger - in every stretch of this forest, nothing will come any closer than a brief glimpse out of the corner of your eyes.

No matter how you try, you can't quite seem to catch a full glimpse of what is moving about. Some of the creatures seem small, flittering through the air, while others dart through the trees, larger, more imposing. Everything here seems to be looking for some kind of shelter, so be wary of stumbling across something already taken.

There is a particular clearing not too far into the woods that opens up, a field encircled by trees. In the middle of the field there is an odd glow - luminescent even in the darkened sky. Upon investigation, you will find a bush - about the size of a small car - filled with glowing flowers, white, blue, gold, and purple. They all smell faintly sweet, but it's hard to tell with the scent of earth and rain all around you.

if you decide to pick one of these flowers, there will be no immediate recourse. However, the longer you decide to keep the flower on your person - or if, for whatever reason, you decide to eat said flower - the following will start to set in.

White: For whatever reason, you will have more energy than you know what to do with, and will be filled with the urge to shine. Ever needed a confidence booster? To a point that you need to get up on buildings and belt your favorite song at the top of your lungs? Well, now you do.
Blue: After some time of carrying around this flower, you will start to feel at peace. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, is it? Until that feeling of peace continues to grow, and continues, and continues. Soon you will feel so peaceful, it's almost as if nothing matters at all. I mean...it'll work out in the end, won't it? You're no longer missing home, missing people, worried about what happened and what you might fine. Everything is chill. Beyond chill. The most chill. But maybe out in the middle of the forest isn't the best place for a nap?
Gold: Congrats, you've officially become a hoarder! No, seriously, you will have this uncontrollable urge to grab things and collect them. It doesn't matter what they are, or where they are. You need to have them and you will find a way to make it happen. Hats? Rings? People with green hair? The world is your oyster, and that's the key word here - yours.
Purple: Suddenly, and without warning, you find yourself unable to...well. Go on alone, really. The first person you see, or that you come in contact with, will feel much like the savior of your world, and for the next five hours or so, you will be unable to be far from them. Even if you know the fear is irrational, you can't really help it, following friend or stranger alike, always needing to be just in arms reach.

Regarding further exploration of the wood, it will seem to go on forever. Getting lost seems almost imperative to existence within this forest, going on forever in all directions with no edge in sight. You could walk for days, weeks, possibly even more. However, the second that you find yourself thinking about wanting to return to the buildings from before, you find yourself cresting through the edge of the trees, back to your home.

RUN BY THE RIVER

While inside the buildings and in the main open spaces, the water doesn't seem to be building up all too terribly, un an unfortunate turn of events, it all seems to be rolling down a very slight hill, pulling just on the outside of the ring of stones.

The ground here is unstable, wet and muddy from the amount of moisture falling from the skies. So much that in some areas (the fighting area being one), it will start to collect into a dangerous combination of mud and moving water. It's possible to get stuck in it, possible to get lost in the flooding, but it's also possible to...you know. Have some fun?

Mud slides, mud wrestling, mud...castles? Whatever you want it to be, it's at your disposal! While the arena was originally a place to practice your powers, or any of the various weapons that are usually kept here, now you can do the same with a little added obstacle in your path. That, or it's possible you simply got stuck trying to make it back to your room. Hopefully someone will be by to help you!

CONNECTIONS AND COMMENTARY

Upon arriving, you will notice on whichever is your non-dominant hand, you will have a fairly simply screen. A smart watch, if you will. Upon exploration, you will find that it has a directory of all those here with you at the Temple of Beginnings- names, and access to a direct message to them. The watch also has video, audio, and text capabilities, as well as what looks like a collection of messages sent to everyone who wishes to open them. This is your 'network', and also how Astoria can reach out and communicate with you.

There is nothing keeping you from removing and/or losing your watch! But remember that you will not have access to this network without it.

OOC: Also feel free to join us and other possible players on our discord server!

enjoy! ♥

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Maes picks up on the concern, but he also is aware of the fact that Roy would be intrigued, which is why he feels he can get away with it.].

Well, I don’t think it will require any of that. It sounded pretty simple actually. As simple as this insanity can be.

[Oh, right he hasn’t actually said what ‘it’ was. Probably because it still felt stupid to say since he hadn’t actually tried yet.]

Teleporting.

[He looks down at the cup. Yeah, this feels like he needs to have another drink but at the same time teleporting while intoxicated sounds dangerous. Maes sighs, deciding to take the plunge. He pushes back the chair, stands up, and thinks about being across the room at the counter where Roy had been getting the cups, just as Roy had described how his own power worked. It happened between a blink of an eye, one minute he was looking down at the table and the next he was looking down at the countertop. No flash of light or smoke, but there had been a popping sound. Not loud, more like the sound of someone snapping their fingers. Maes feels dizzy for a second, like when you whip your head around too fast. The change in perspective was going to take getting used to...but that wasn’t so bad.]

I guess that worked...so that much is true.

Edited 2018-07-12 12:30 (UTC)

[ roy watches maes carefully, as he appears to concentrate . . . almost wary, anxious, because the idea of maes vanishing anywhere sounds like the opposite of a good time. but he keeps his mouth shut, waiting to be of support in . . . some way. how was he supposed to help with this?

and then maes vanishes in the blink of an eye, and roy immediately gets to his feet, nearly knocking over the bottle of liquor with a startled noise, but then he's . . . by the sink?

roy does not look dumbfounded very often, but he sure as shit looks dumbfounded now. ]

[ . . . but once the shock wears off, roy groans and drops back into his seat, pouring another drink for himself before he mutters (quite audibly): ]

That's going to be annoying.

[ today has been a long fucking day. ]

Ah...sorry Roy. I guess I thought telling you about it would make that not as much of a shock.

[Which was probably a dumb suggestion. Roy might have been an alchemist back home, but people couldn't just disappear into thin air like that back home either. Maes is only briefly amused by the reaction, but since it's still so strange and against everything he's familiar with, he doesn't take pleasure in it long. Instead he crosses the kitchen (the normal way) and takes the bottle to pour himself another glass, returning to his seat. This stuff may be foul, but if he's going to be dealing with freaky powers now he feels like he's earned it.]

Ah, don't tell me you're jealous. Come on, Roy, you know I actually took pride in being the normal one. I'm not sure I'll be using it that much.

[Which is probably a lie, even if he likes being normal Maes has always been the type to examine things. His curiosity was always what got him into trouble -- even when he was a kid -- and it was very likely going to overcome his sense of needing to be 'the normal one'.]

I am not jealous of you being able to teleport.

[ flatly, as he watches maes sit back down, almost suspiciously -- is he just going to teleport again??? -- but satisfied that he is staying put, he takes another drink. ]

And being able to use alchemy doesn't qualify me as abnormal. [ but it's said with the tone of someone who has said such things a million times, and roy mustang will fucking die on this hill, okay. ] But I have to admit, I haven't . . .

[ but he pauses, there, for half a second. ]

. . . I almost lost the ability to do it at all, near the end of the fighting that broke out between King Bradley and . . . well, me. [ and his squad, but roy mustang said he was going to bring it down, and he fought to fucking bring it down. ] It's given me a new perspective on what's important, and what isn't.

[ he pauses, again, before finishing the drink in his hand. the liquor is beginning to settle in his bones, which prevents him from thinking as quickly as normal, but that's the point, isn't it? ]

I'm grateful that you're normal, is what I'm trying to say. Normal-ish.

Edited 2018-07-13 03:44 (UTC)

[Maes sets the bottle down once his cup is topped off, eyes widening slightly. He'd figured, in his investigations, that the conspiracy of the country had to go to the highest branches of the military. He still hadn't wanted to believe that it included their Fuhrer. Even if a part of him thought it back then. It made the most sense after all, because it was either that or someone was controlling the Fuhrer.]

You mean to tell me you went head to head against King Bradley? [But then he realizes what else Roy said and adds.] And how exactly did he manage that? I think this is some of the stuff you should be telling me over this terrible alcohol.

[To emphasize his point, and to show that while he is bad mouthing it he is still going to drink it, he knocks back another swig.]

[ there's a silence, at the question, before he pours himself another drink. but even then, roy doesn't continue. he's thinking, his brow furrowing, contemplating his words carefully before he speaks. ]

How much do you want to know, Maes?

[ finally, and his fingers curl around his cup. ]

Because I can tell you, and I will tell you. But a lot of it isn't . . .

[ and he trails off, for half a moment, before roy lifts his cup, only a few centimeters off the surface of the table. and, seemingly answering the question himself, roy keeps speaking. the alcohol seems to loosen his tongue, distracts him, a little, and talking with maes about this is familiar. comforting, almost. ]

King Bradley found out. That I was working against him, that I wanted to change Amestris. I think he always knew. [ he takes a slight sip of the alcohol, letting it burn on this tongue for a minute before swallowing it down. ] But he knew that I wanted to burn it to the ground, after what happened to you. He's had his eye on me, since Ishval, and he put me into a corner. He told me everything. He told me that the entire military was corrupt. He told me that all of the higher ups were underneath his thumb. And then, after he told me everything, and threatened the Elrics, he took away my team. Gave them all transfer orders, and left me by myself, to corner me.

[ he pauses, before his tone shifts, just slightly -- something darker, a bit more angry, underneath the surface: ]

He made Riza his personal assistant.

[ bastard. ]

But he underestimated me. And the Elrics. He's no longer in charge. He's dead. Not by my hand. I was chasing other monstrosities.

[Maes doesn't answer. He knows if he waits Roy out, especially now that he's had a few drinks, he'll start talking on his own. He's almost tempted to interrupt him to ask 'isn't what' but catches himself as Roy continues. Maes feels frustrated that pieces are falling into place but only leaving room for more questions to be asked.]

He did always seem to have you conveniently placed. I guess we didn't consider that the enemies you'd have to face as we moved you up the ranks would be EVERYONE in the upper echelons.

[Because that had always been the plan, right? Get himself a position and rank that would nudge Roy up, find out who Roy could trust and build his support around, send good people his way. Apparently even if he hadn't discovered the information that he had there would have been a barrier to his plan eventually.]

They've always underestimated you. What else happened?

[ there's a slight tug at the corner of his mouth, into a faint smile, at the they've always underestimated you. it's true; they have, and it was their undoing, in the end. but he draws in a breath, at the next question.

there's so much. nearly dying, at the hands of lust. killing lust. havoc, becoming paralyzed -- havoc being healed, riza nearly dying, may chang healing her, roy being sent to the gate, roy seeing the Truth . . . edward and riza yelling at him to stop, and killing envy would only turn roy into what he hated the most . . . ]

Another thing King Bradley told me, on that day, was that the Homunculi had infiltrated the military. Humans created by alchemy . . . or, as close to humans as humans could become. They're dangerous. Monstrosities. Violations of the taboo, in every sense of the word. I still don't know if they're evil or not.

[ were. if they were evil. ]

They all had different abilities. King Bradley was one, his true name was Wrath. Created for the sole purpose of burning Amestris to the ground to suit the needs of his master.

[ his fingers curl around the cup, a bit tighter. ]

His son, Selim, was another. Pride. Pride stalked Riza for months, under King Bradley's orders. I wasn't allowed anywhere near her. [ judging from roy's tone, that strategy worked swimmingly. ] I killed Lust, because she nearly killed Havoc, and Alphonse, and Riza. Gluttony attempted to eat us, and actually did eat Edward at one point, but he figured it out . . . Greed, the traitor. Sloth, that one attacked the Northern Wall, and met Olivier's wrath.

[ he pauses, then, and finishes his drink, clearing his throat. ]

Envy. The shapeshifter.

[Maes's eyes widen. Wait, did Roy just...holy shit. Selim Bradley was one of those things too? If it wasn't Roy telling him this he'd probably call it a lie. But hadn't he seen first hand what those creatures could do? Taking the form of a child was certainly not as surprising as it might have been had he not.

He's so consumed with that piece of information that he almost misses the rundown of the rest.]

Wait. Wait wait wait. [Maes takes a big drink now.] Now you're just going too fast. First, you drop that little bomb on me about Selim. What about Mrs. Bradley? Where does she fit into all of that? Second, you just skipped over several people encountering those monsters and 'nearly' dying. Is Havoc all right now? [He'd said nearly, right?] How does someone 'figure out' getting eaten? Isn't that usually permanent?

[There's a pause, Maes' face darkens.] Yeah, we already discussed that one.

[ he stops, when maes asks him to, lingering over the information, and roy lets him parse through it on his own terms. picking out what he wants to know versus what he wants to leave behind. ]

She was innocent. Had no idea what was living in her own house.

[ a victim, like so many of them. ]

Havoc survived, and is fully recovered, now. [ roy pours himself another drink, though he doesn't take a sip from it yet. ] I had to knock some sense into him afterward, but he's fine. We made it out. Barely, but we made it out.

[ roy pauses, though, at the comment about being eaten, and he shrugs. ]

Edward is a clever kid. He doesn't give up easily.

[ roy says it like the most natural thing in the world. of course edward would figure it out; he's a genius. where have you been. ]

[Damn. That poor woman. Not only to live in that kind of deception, but then to lose both her husband and son?]

How is she now? It seems strange to worry about her I guess, but like you said she was innocent.

[Now that he thinks about it, he's in a bit of the opposite situation as she was in.]

That's not an answer Roy. I know Edward is clever but getting eaten?

Fine. Safe. We ensured she wouldn't be hurt.

{ she didn't do anything wrong. her entire life had been a grand experiment, a joke, by father. roy can't fault her for believing king bradley loved her. and for all roy knew, maybe, somewhere, he did.

he doubted it. but anything was possible.

but as for the questioning about edward, roy sighs and sits back a little, crossing his arms over his chest. ]

I don't know how he got out of it, I probably don't need to know. [ with a resigned tone; edward and alphonse have taken years off of his life, the brats. ] Gluttony was a failed creation at attempting to create the Gate, and he swallows things whole. He wanted to kill me but --

[ but he pauses, there, and he reaches over to grab at the bottle, with a slight frown. ]

I haven't had enough to drink to get into the Gate, and I've had too much to tell this story right. Ask an easier question.

[ did u miss ur friend hughes ]

[Maes can accept part of that, except for where Roy needs more to drink. Sure it had involved Edward, but Roy was acting like it was less Gluttony that was pushing him to drink and more the mention of this 'Gate.']

How the hell am I supposed to know what's an "easier" question? [Pause. He looks down at the cup, takes a swig and decides to go for it since Roy is going to be an ass.]

How're things progressing with Hawkeye?

[Not as much as you probably missed him. From his perspective they haven't really been apart that long.]

[ there's a hesitation, his fingers hesitating over his cup, at the question. caught off guard, at the question, because there's that lurking undertone in the question, the suggestion, that causes him to narrow his eyes. -- mostly because his first instinct is to be defensive, or protective, and immediately disregard such an accusation, because it's inappropriate, and he would never abuse his position of power in such a way, especially with her.

. . . but it's maes, and this isn't just anyone, and roy picks up his cup. there's no harm meant, in the question, and maybe maes didn't mean such a suggestion in the first place.

(he totally did, roy argues with himself in his head, but he's going to ignore it.) ]

She was promoted, and sent to Ishval to begin the reconstruction, after the fall of King Bradley. Non-negotiable, though I'm mostly to blame for it. I wanted to go, and she went with me. Something about the Ishvalans not wanting me there, but everything was going smoothly before we were kidnapped to this place.

[ he takes a sip of his drink. ]

She still has her dog. Has an excellent career ahead of her. Alive. Happy, I think.

[ what else do you need to know hughes ]

[Maes snorts. Normally he'd control himself more but screw it. He's had crappy alcohol and just found out a few hours ago that he's supposed to be dead. If you can't ask these kinds of questions now, when ARE you supposed to ask them. He more or less foresaw an answer like that though. This IS Roy. Although to imply that Roy would be 'abusing his power' to pursue, what Maes certainly sees as, a childhood crush evolved into something more would be completely wrong.

Although Maes imagines there are others in the military who would skew it into something perverse. Those guys are the worst.]

Oh good. She deserved a promotion after putting up with you for all these years. Although I imagine she's quite happy with that.

[He sips his drink and mutters, though quite loud enough for Roy to hear] You know that's now what I meant though.

[ he did know what he meant, and there's a silence, as roy allows the statement to hang in the air. and he sighs (an overdramatic, exasperated sigh) before he rests his elbows on the table, steepling his fingers, to rest them against his lips. the drink ignored, now. for a joking conversation, roy looks rather serious.

which, you know. is the norm. ]

She isn't an object to be won.

[ after a long moment of thought. delicately answering the question, while also laying out his own boundary that he set for himself an incredibly long time ago. ]

I would die for her. She would die for me. No questions asked. Nothing has changed, because nothing needs to change.

[ riza is his shadow, and they're never apart for longer than a moment. not since king bradley. ]

[Maes frowns, looking a little offended that Roy would think he was even implying Riza to be an object.] That is also not what I meant.

[It's Maes's turn to sigh dramatically, raking his hand through his hair and trying to think of how to put this. Perhaps bringing this up while drunk wasn't the best course of action after all.]

Roy, you're an idiot.

I know that's not what you meant, but that's what I hear whenever I hear that idiotic question.

[ with some irritation, as he crosses his arms over his chest, stubborn to the last. ]

No one is stupid enough to ask me to my face because half of them know my reputation and the other half don't want to be demoted, but the rumors are incessant, and -- how am I an idiot? [ his tone shifts to indignant, arching his eyebrows, almost challenging maes to explain himself. ] There's nothing to talk about.

[He just had to ask that question didn't he? Why was Roy Mustang an idiot? Maes doesn't know if he can articulate right now the real answer to that question, but if Roy's going to ask then he's just going to have to try, isn't he?]

Okay. First off, I'm not those other people asking you this question. Your reputation means absolutely nothing to me and I know good and damn well what the rumors are and that they are also garbage.

Second [here he helpfully holds up two fingers], I have been watching you two tiptoe around each other since the goddamn war. I haven't heard her side of things, but it doesn't take an ace detective to listen to you for all of five minutes and know how you feel about her. I mean, were you listening to yourself just now? People don't talk like that about just anyone working with them like that. And yes, I don't care how much you might outrank her, it's with not under for you two and it always has been.

And that brings me to my third reason for calling you an idiot. [He gestures with three fingers, very emphatically. Can you tell he's drunk yet? Because if not the next part should really clear that up.] If you think I'm going to come back from being fucking dead just to watch you miss your damn opportunity again then Roy Mustang I will shout it from the rooftop that you are a goddamn idiot!

[ immediately, an off-hand apology rises, because e had been oversensitive. mostly because riza doesn't need anyone to defend her, and there's really no need to be defensive over such a non-event. but then maes continues, and roy's apology dies in his throat at the rest of it.

it strikes the nail on the head, really. the last bit. that maes is dead, and however many times roy has gone over it in his head, and however many times he talks it through with riza, he still feels the weight in his heart. the blame. and now that he's had time to think and digest, a lot of the pain that became the people he cares about boils down to him, and their belief in him.

that's part of the burden, surely, but the weight of loss is something that he's never going to get used to.

so roy is silent, at the end of maes' tirade, before he swallows. uncomfortable, clearly presented with something that he doesn't want to talk about, and there's an uncomfortable weight in his throat. but he swallows it down before tapping his fingers against the edge of his cup. ]

My path ends in one of two ways. I succeed, and I have a target on my back, or I fail, and I die. And even now, there's always been a target. I'm always being watched. And, by extension, so are the people I care about. And my enemies know my weaknesses. They've exploited every single one.

[ he watches the cup, for a long moment. ]

They took you, first. They tried to take the Elrics, and nearly succeeded. And they nearly killed her, too. I watched it. -- and I can't go to another funeral of someone else I couldn't save because the enemy picked out who I care about the most.

[ and, finally, roy finishes what's left in his cup before huffing softly to himself, in what might be a laugh, if not for the subject matter. ]

Not that I would make it anywhere, without her, because she operates every aspect and facet of my life.

[ roy absolutely does not know the amestrian version of his social security number because riza remembers the less-important stuff, while he's focused on revolution. ]

[Even drunk, Maes has an itchy feeling of regret after playing the 'I'm dead' card. In his defense his emotions are still pretty raw on that and the alcohol isn't exactly helping. However, it isn't fair to throw that back at Roy when he'd JUST told him a little bit ago that he didn't blame him. He still didn't, but he knows Roy will cling to that because the man can't let things go.

It doesn't help that he really only has Roy's word to go on about his death. Not that he doubts Roy's words (his emotions are clear on that front) and of course, he felt it in certain ways. His arrival here had been pain and blood and then it was gone. He was whole again and felt a warm hand on his back. But it wasn't like he'd seen his own body, or the crime scene, or the funeral. Honestly, he hadn't really thought about the funeral until just now.

He pictures Gracia and Elicia there. God, what had he put them through? Here he is nagging Roy about getting a wife, about doing something about Riza, when he can't even bother to protect his own.

Maes slowly sets his cup down with one hand and using the other to push his glasses up, rubbing at his eyes with his thumb and fingers. He cautiously takes a breath, that lump in his throat swelling. Maybe getting drunk hadn't been the best idea after all. He lets out the breath. He thinks back to a conversation from during the war with Roy. What had he said then? ...I'll smile when I'm with her. I swear on my life, I will make her happy.. He'd sworn to make her happy and yet...

...and yet...

He takes another breath. He's not going to do this right now. Goddamn it. Pull yourself together. You can't do this right now. He realizes Roy has fallen silent again, he's done talking, and Maes lets the silence linger for a moment. He's afraid of what he might sound like. He forces himself to push it down.]

I'm sorry Roy. I shouldn't have brought it up. You know me, I've always been the helpless romantic. I think...I think as long as you are both happy that's what is really important.

[ there's a soft exhale and a wave of his hand, dismissing the apology as easily as it arrives. ]

And I'm not.

[ it's said simply, because roy doesn't need to go into much more detail, than that. maes knows him better than roy knows himself -- clearly, if hughes is seeing all of this from his perspective, and roy isn't. but roy isn't a helpless romantic, in that sense. he is a naive optimist, and he believes strongly in his vision of the future, and he feels too much, and he is definitely too soft-heartened, especially when it comes to the people he cares about.

but the romantic is a charade, a front, to lure people into a false sense of security. to ensure that people continue underestimating him, and continue looking the other way while he works. it's better to blend in, when you think roy is an idiot.

still . . . he purses his lips, trying to figure out what to say next, and he settles on honesty. ]

If she asked me, today, to stop chasing the end-goal of changing Amestris and retire and go live in the middle of nowhere without any access to modern civilization, I would do it. [ with the quiet seriousness that becomes him, at this late hour, after this many drinks. ] She makes me a better person. She keeps me honest. She's the reason why I'm still alive, and why I'm able to keep going. She's trusted me with all of her secrets, and she knows all of mine. I would do anything for her.

[ he reaches out to take the bottle, but instead of pouring another drink, he corks it. they've clearly had enough. ]

I don't know what it is, anymore, but it seems cheap to call it something, somehow. There's not a word for it. I don't think there needs to be.

[ and he folds his arms once more over his chest, looking evenly across the table at maes, his expression easing into a familiar exasperation. ]

Satisfied? [ and then, a little more under his breath, as he glances towards the ceiling: ] Busybody.

[And just like that, the oppressive feeling evaporates. Maes appreciates that part of their friendship. Their ability to pull each other back up. True, Maes has probably done it for Roy more often than the other, but the point still stands. Roy isn't going to let Maes spiral and for that he's grateful.

What really helps though is trying to picture Roy living away from modern civilization. It starts as a smile, but then the serious tone Roy is using to proclaim that he would do it combined with the image of Roy dressed as some country-bumpkin farmer makes Maes start chuckling to himself and then he just starts laughing (because he added Riza and Black Hayate into this fantasy farm). He smacks Roy's shoulder, good-naturedly.]

You would try maybe. But we both know you're a city-boy. I wouldn't go trading in your automobile for a tractor just yet.

[Maes catches that muttering, but only answers the question with a knowing smirk. Oh Roy, he may drop it for now, but he's gotten way more ammunition out of this than you realize.]

For now.

[ there's a slight roll of his eyes, at that. ]

I've been to Resembool. It's not so bad.

[ . . . though, honestly, he would only go to visit the elrics, and the rockbells. but living there? boredom. roy loves central, and the hustle of the city, and seeing a million people on his walk to the work. that being said: ]

Berthold Hawkeye lived in the middle of nowhere, so I'm sure Riza is more used to abject boredom than I am.

[ being there and learning had been a turning point, in his life, but . . . well. it seems so distant, now. and he sighs before uncrossing his arms, moving to rub his face a little. ]

All that aside, you can ask her about it tomorrow. We should find somewhere to sleep.

[ that isn't his shared room with riza because roy doesn't have the patience for the teasing. ]

Edited 2018-08-05 02:33 (UTC)

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dadandgone - 2018-08-05 04:08 (UTC) - Expand

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