Post by Mlle Bienvenu on Apr 19, 2005 23:54:07 GMT -5
Chastity against Lust.
Temperance against Gluttony.
Love against Envy.
Charity against Greed.
Mercy against Wrath.
Zeal against Sloth.
Humility against Pride
These are the Virtues.
Ghosts
Edward hated the rain. For one thing, it made the stump of his arm and leg ache. For another, it made it difficult to move in the muddy dirt street. Neither was helpful when you were being run to ground by a serial killer.
"Where'd he go, Al?" Ed wrapped himself against one of low walls which lined the street.
"I don't know," Al whispered, but it was almost lost in the metallic pinging of the rain off of Al's armor, "I don't see anythi-"
The stone wall blew apart around them. Al ran, only turning to make sure Ed was following him. He wasn't. He was stumbling forward, dazed.
"Brother!" Edward tried to focus, but he'd been hit with a stone, everything seemed far away and blurry.
Alphonse backtracked, picking Edward up just as Scar reached him. Scar lunged forward, trying to grab any part of Edward he could, but he slipped in the mud, falling forward. Al didn't wait for Scar to get up. He ran with Ed tucked under his arm.
"Over here!" Edward looked up as best as he could with his throbbing head. He couldn't have heard what he thought he'd heard. Ed squinted, trying to turn his head so he could see where the voice had come from, but the rain pelted down in front of them, and off of Al's armor making it impossible to be certain. A figure waved, making large motions for him to follow him. "Al...is that...?"
"C'mon! Hurry! In here!" The man gestured to a small farmhouse, the one belonging to the stone wall Scar had destroyed.
Ed tried to clear his eyes of water, to see for certain if he'd seen what he'd thought he'd seen, but the man was gone.
Scar stumbled forward, looking every bit like he was fighting the very wind and rain. Alphonse had a good lead on him, he was almost to the farmhouse. He wasn't sure why he was headed there, what made him think that this place would be able to shelter them from their hunter.
Alphonse reached the door, and it opened just as he was about to check the handle. Alphonse did a double take....between the rain, he'd thought he'd seen his mother, he didn't have time to think about this, because the woman was dragging him out of the rain, "Come in! You looked soaked."
Alphonse panicked...Scar was sure to follow them in. Would he hurt the owner of the farm? Alphonse mumbled an apology and tried to head for the door, but the woman would have none of it, she forced them into the living room, "No! You don't understand, there's someone after us...and-"
"Relax," She smiled and patted Ed on the head,, "Don't worry about anything..."
She turned back to the door, to the man whose look was darker than the mud that caked his clothing. Scar seemed to be fighting something, like the wind and the rain were against him.
"I've set a ward around the house. You won't be able to enter."
"Your superstitions mean nothing to me." The man grunted.
She shuddered. He made her hair stand up on the back of her neck, and an ache began to spread through her bones, "Alright then, suit yourself, but you still won't get in."
Scar once again slipped in the mud and grunted as a muddy footprint appeared on his back. The woman fixed her eyes on the footprints as they walked towards her. She moved out of the way and muttered as they tracked themselves into the house, "Be sure to keep the boys inside the house."
Edward and Alphonse watched as a pair of muddy footprints tracked themselves into the livingroom and came to rest in front of them.
"Brother....!" Alphonse stepped back into a couch and sat down.
Al watched the footsteps receed quickly and return with a towel filled with ice floating in midair, "Ermm... thank you..."
Scar's arm twinged painfully as he got closer to the house, suddenly the ground lifted up in front of him, knocking him backwards. He stood up again, testing another spot, the ground lifted up again, but this time he was ready, he thrust his arm into morphing sod, but instead of breaking into incoherent parts, it reformed itself around his hand. Scar pulled it out of the strangely moving dirt.
"A transmutation...like nothing I've ever seen." Scar systematically made his way around the house, until there was a circle enscribed in dirt around the house. As soon as he got too close, the wall would erect itself in front of him, and when he was far enough away, it would collapse in on itself. There was no way in.
"Brother?" Al said, trying to dry off..."I think I saw a ghost."
"You too huh? You saw him?"
"Yeah... this...thing was fighting Scar...holding him in the mud... I couldn't see him properly, it was like he wasn't there... except I could see the rain hitting him. I think he was helping us escape... and then....just now.... I saw footprints....and they gave me that ice for your head."
Ed nodded shifting the icepack, "Yeah... and I saw him... he lead us here... only... he looked like..."
"Like what?"
"Like Hughes..."
"Do you think it really was him?"
Ed thought for a moment, then smiled, feeling the bump on the back of his head, "Nah... I hit my head pretty hard..."
"I guess.... but I saw him too..."
"Don't be stupid, there's no such things as ghosts. Scar was just having problems with the mud, that's all."
"Yeah... I guess..." Alphonse became silent once more.
"There are a lot of ghosts around here..." The owner of the house stood in the doorway of the living room, "Are you two alright?"
"Yeah, I guess," Ed felt the back of his head gingerly, "going to be a heck of a bump though."
"I'm sorry to hear it....Is there anything I can get you, Mr. Elric?"
"You know who I am?"
"I can see your pocketwatch... and is it really that unbelievable? It's well-known that Edward Elric is the youngest State-Alchemist ever."
Ed puffed up a little, "Yep, that's me alright."
Al: Brother...are you sure it wasn't a ghost that I could have seen? I don't think that the mud alone would have kept Scar from getting us...
Ed: Stop being so superstitious, we're safe and that's all that matters...well at least for now. Once we leave here he'll probably be coming after us again...
B: Leaving? You're not thinking of leaving yet, are you? You boys are soaked to the skin, and it's raining buckets...
Ed: Listen, we appreciate your hospitality and everything but There's someone after me, and to be honest, I wouldn't want you getting hurt because we're here.
B: Him? Pfeh.. Don't worry about him... I put a ward around the house...
Ed: A ward? I didn't see anyone out there...what are you getting at? Don't tell me this has to do more with damn ghosts, there aren't any such things as ghosts...: waves it off :
B: Watch your mouth.. and of course there are things such as ghosts....: eyes Al :
Ed: Oh yeah? I've never seen one before or anything done by them...Scar was only slowed down by the mud and weather, it had nothing to do with spirits or anything...
Al: But brother, it was almost as though there was a force keeping him down and away from us, not just the wind or anything, but a person bearing down on him...
B: And I suppose the wind and rain brought you that ice?
Ed: Hmph...*looks away* It's just some stupid belief...maybe you see spirits but I see what's actually there, and I saw wind, mud and nothing else. Who's to say it wasn't just the elements keeping him back?
B: Alright Mr. Elric, it was the wind then.... : shrugs : I guess this old place is just drafty....
Humility: : stokes the fire :
B: Yes.... very drafty....
Ed and Al: : startled and jump :
Al: Okay Ed...I want to hear how you explain that!
Ed: Errrr...
B: : chuckles and leaves...muttering, presumably to herself :
Ed: Okay...if there is a spirit hanging around here...show yourself! C'mon, if this place really is haunted then at least one ghost should be willing to come forward...
Al: : frightfully : I'm not sure I want to see them...
Ed: See? Nothing...
Al: I don't know...
Al: : pause : Do... do you think our mom's a ghost?
Ed: Don't be stupid Al, ghosts are supposed to be souls that haven't been able to cross over yet. I'm sure she's gone to heaven or whatever lies in the afterlife...: begins breaking off, uneased by the subject :
Beatrice: : comes back with a cerimonial tea tray for her guests :
Ed: Oh good, something to warm us up.
Al: Well, warm you up maybe...
Ed: Shhh....
Al: Errr um...since I'm allergic to...uh, tea...
B: I'm sorry to hear it... Tea is good for the soul. Would you like something else?
Al: Uh...no thank you. I'm fine.
: sound of breaking glass from somewhere else in the house :
Ed: Who the hell is there?
Al: : stands at the same time as his brother, defensive stances :
Al: Show yourself!
Ed: : has instinctively transmuted his automail arm into a blade :
B: : sigh : that sounded like my good china too... Intruder! Don't loose any pieces, I might still be able to glue them together or something...
Ed: How can you worry about china at a time like this!?
Ling Yao: The Fullmetal....I saw him come in here...
Temperance against Gluttony.
Love against Envy.
Charity against Greed.
Mercy against Wrath.
Zeal against Sloth.
Humility against Pride
These are the Virtues.
Ghosts
Edward hated the rain. For one thing, it made the stump of his arm and leg ache. For another, it made it difficult to move in the muddy dirt street. Neither was helpful when you were being run to ground by a serial killer.
"Where'd he go, Al?" Ed wrapped himself against one of low walls which lined the street.
"I don't know," Al whispered, but it was almost lost in the metallic pinging of the rain off of Al's armor, "I don't see anythi-"
The stone wall blew apart around them. Al ran, only turning to make sure Ed was following him. He wasn't. He was stumbling forward, dazed.
"Brother!" Edward tried to focus, but he'd been hit with a stone, everything seemed far away and blurry.
Alphonse backtracked, picking Edward up just as Scar reached him. Scar lunged forward, trying to grab any part of Edward he could, but he slipped in the mud, falling forward. Al didn't wait for Scar to get up. He ran with Ed tucked under his arm.
"Over here!" Edward looked up as best as he could with his throbbing head. He couldn't have heard what he thought he'd heard. Ed squinted, trying to turn his head so he could see where the voice had come from, but the rain pelted down in front of them, and off of Al's armor making it impossible to be certain. A figure waved, making large motions for him to follow him. "Al...is that...?"
"C'mon! Hurry! In here!" The man gestured to a small farmhouse, the one belonging to the stone wall Scar had destroyed.
Ed tried to clear his eyes of water, to see for certain if he'd seen what he'd thought he'd seen, but the man was gone.
Scar stumbled forward, looking every bit like he was fighting the very wind and rain. Alphonse had a good lead on him, he was almost to the farmhouse. He wasn't sure why he was headed there, what made him think that this place would be able to shelter them from their hunter.
Alphonse reached the door, and it opened just as he was about to check the handle. Alphonse did a double take....between the rain, he'd thought he'd seen his mother, he didn't have time to think about this, because the woman was dragging him out of the rain, "Come in! You looked soaked."
Alphonse panicked...Scar was sure to follow them in. Would he hurt the owner of the farm? Alphonse mumbled an apology and tried to head for the door, but the woman would have none of it, she forced them into the living room, "No! You don't understand, there's someone after us...and-"
"Relax," She smiled and patted Ed on the head,, "Don't worry about anything..."
She turned back to the door, to the man whose look was darker than the mud that caked his clothing. Scar seemed to be fighting something, like the wind and the rain were against him.
"I've set a ward around the house. You won't be able to enter."
"Your superstitions mean nothing to me." The man grunted.
She shuddered. He made her hair stand up on the back of her neck, and an ache began to spread through her bones, "Alright then, suit yourself, but you still won't get in."
Scar once again slipped in the mud and grunted as a muddy footprint appeared on his back. The woman fixed her eyes on the footprints as they walked towards her. She moved out of the way and muttered as they tracked themselves into the house, "Be sure to keep the boys inside the house."
Edward and Alphonse watched as a pair of muddy footprints tracked themselves into the livingroom and came to rest in front of them.
"Brother....!" Alphonse stepped back into a couch and sat down.
Al watched the footsteps receed quickly and return with a towel filled with ice floating in midair, "Ermm... thank you..."
Scar's arm twinged painfully as he got closer to the house, suddenly the ground lifted up in front of him, knocking him backwards. He stood up again, testing another spot, the ground lifted up again, but this time he was ready, he thrust his arm into morphing sod, but instead of breaking into incoherent parts, it reformed itself around his hand. Scar pulled it out of the strangely moving dirt.
"A transmutation...like nothing I've ever seen." Scar systematically made his way around the house, until there was a circle enscribed in dirt around the house. As soon as he got too close, the wall would erect itself in front of him, and when he was far enough away, it would collapse in on itself. There was no way in.
"Brother?" Al said, trying to dry off..."I think I saw a ghost."
"You too huh? You saw him?"
"Yeah... this...thing was fighting Scar...holding him in the mud... I couldn't see him properly, it was like he wasn't there... except I could see the rain hitting him. I think he was helping us escape... and then....just now.... I saw footprints....and they gave me that ice for your head."
Ed nodded shifting the icepack, "Yeah... and I saw him... he lead us here... only... he looked like..."
"Like what?"
"Like Hughes..."
"Do you think it really was him?"
Ed thought for a moment, then smiled, feeling the bump on the back of his head, "Nah... I hit my head pretty hard..."
"I guess.... but I saw him too..."
"Don't be stupid, there's no such things as ghosts. Scar was just having problems with the mud, that's all."
"Yeah... I guess..." Alphonse became silent once more.
"There are a lot of ghosts around here..." The owner of the house stood in the doorway of the living room, "Are you two alright?"
"Yeah, I guess," Ed felt the back of his head gingerly, "going to be a heck of a bump though."
"I'm sorry to hear it....Is there anything I can get you, Mr. Elric?"
"You know who I am?"
"I can see your pocketwatch... and is it really that unbelievable? It's well-known that Edward Elric is the youngest State-Alchemist ever."
Ed puffed up a little, "Yep, that's me alright."
Al: Brother...are you sure it wasn't a ghost that I could have seen? I don't think that the mud alone would have kept Scar from getting us...
Ed: Stop being so superstitious, we're safe and that's all that matters...well at least for now. Once we leave here he'll probably be coming after us again...
B: Leaving? You're not thinking of leaving yet, are you? You boys are soaked to the skin, and it's raining buckets...
Ed: Listen, we appreciate your hospitality and everything but There's someone after me, and to be honest, I wouldn't want you getting hurt because we're here.
B: Him? Pfeh.. Don't worry about him... I put a ward around the house...
Ed: A ward? I didn't see anyone out there...what are you getting at? Don't tell me this has to do more with damn ghosts, there aren't any such things as ghosts...: waves it off :
B: Watch your mouth.. and of course there are things such as ghosts....: eyes Al :
Ed: Oh yeah? I've never seen one before or anything done by them...Scar was only slowed down by the mud and weather, it had nothing to do with spirits or anything...
Al: But brother, it was almost as though there was a force keeping him down and away from us, not just the wind or anything, but a person bearing down on him...
B: And I suppose the wind and rain brought you that ice?
Ed: Hmph...*looks away* It's just some stupid belief...maybe you see spirits but I see what's actually there, and I saw wind, mud and nothing else. Who's to say it wasn't just the elements keeping him back?
B: Alright Mr. Elric, it was the wind then.... : shrugs : I guess this old place is just drafty....
Humility: : stokes the fire :
B: Yes.... very drafty....
Ed and Al: : startled and jump :
Al: Okay Ed...I want to hear how you explain that!
Ed: Errrr...
B: : chuckles and leaves...muttering, presumably to herself :
Ed: Okay...if there is a spirit hanging around here...show yourself! C'mon, if this place really is haunted then at least one ghost should be willing to come forward...
Al: : frightfully : I'm not sure I want to see them...
Ed: See? Nothing...
Al: I don't know...
Al: : pause : Do... do you think our mom's a ghost?
Ed: Don't be stupid Al, ghosts are supposed to be souls that haven't been able to cross over yet. I'm sure she's gone to heaven or whatever lies in the afterlife...: begins breaking off, uneased by the subject :
Beatrice: : comes back with a cerimonial tea tray for her guests :
Ed: Oh good, something to warm us up.
Al: Well, warm you up maybe...
Ed: Shhh....
Al: Errr um...since I'm allergic to...uh, tea...
B: I'm sorry to hear it... Tea is good for the soul. Would you like something else?
Al: Uh...no thank you. I'm fine.
: sound of breaking glass from somewhere else in the house :
Ed: Who the hell is there?
Al: : stands at the same time as his brother, defensive stances :
Al: Show yourself!
Ed: : has instinctively transmuted his automail arm into a blade :
B: : sigh : that sounded like my good china too... Intruder! Don't loose any pieces, I might still be able to glue them together or something...
Ed: How can you worry about china at a time like this!?
Ling Yao: The Fullmetal....I saw him come in here...
