A Game of Gods: Infinities

Rey looked over his shoulder to Jack, raising the visor of his helmet, but by now, his eyes were no longer glowing and his skin was back to it's usual shade. "Jack? Oh, it's good to see you too..." He turned, smiling faintly, though looking around. "We're back here, huh? I...guess this is good...better than some things..."

"Oh, yes, I'm a little jumpy." Edward said, glancing at Stranger while he still scratched under Fluttershy's chin. "Heads-up: that little fight would have never happened if you hadn't attacked me and instead tried to talk. Granted, I should have tried to talk too, but I don't see many creatures like you or Fluttershy over here back in my world. Don't try to paint yourself as the victim in this one."

The fight was settled; stopped prematurely, but valuable in its own way. The next battle had already begun; a battle of words and proverbs, resisted by those who ignored the opportunity to understand either. His lips were visited by the cigarette once again, the slow drag of nicotine and metaphors passing through him, then out again. Our handsome spy wished to earn no ire at such an early juncture, but neither did he find himself willing to feign ignorance when it came to the proverb a few of their number had taken to passing around like an opiate; an opiate of false hope and the dangling of carrots. It was obvious what this Sanetoshi was suggesting, and there was merit in what he had proposed.

"Intriguing." he interjected, cigarette similarly interjecting itself soon after; speech could come after it had had another turn. "In that case, Monsieur Sanetoshi, perhaps we are already on a ghost ship. And perhaps we are also boarding another. It is obvious that remaining as we are will solve nothing, and while a leap of faith can be betrayed - as blind faith often is - I am not a man of faith. Progress is what I propose. Perhaps we are trading one ghost ship for another, but as long as that ship takes us from where we are now, I say it is worth boarding, so long as we never become complacent. Who is to say we cannot hop between more than one ghost ship? Action and inaction are already fraternizing here, after all. If each seeks to convince us that it will take us to where we hope to go, eventually their competition to prove their legitimacy might do exactly that."

He elected to pass on the rest of his similes, in favor of sizing up both Vehk and Fumio once more. Vehk was still an enigma in many ways, though he was not as incomprehensible as the chainsaw's owner had convinced herself. He spoke in passives, and his phrases often snaked between metaphor and the literal, then back again before he'd finished a single phrase. He played proverbs like one would a harp, and he seemed to suppose himself a teacher; the masked rogue could definitely see it in his demeanor, if not in his spear or the flames swaying atop his blue head.

But Fumio seemed to disagree.

"What they mean to say" the spy explained evenly, his cigarette caught dormant between his fingers this time, "is that hope springs eternal when we have been offered a chance to take action and face down a god." Another proverb; best choose a different route, he realized. "In other words, assuming the first ray of hope that comes by will come with no drawbacks is foolish. Also, and this is simply my observation, yelling at one another for the way we speak is perhaps only slightly more productive than outright attacking your own ally. We are supposed to be working together, and this sort of dysfunctionality is only acceptable when each party involved is both unwilling to attack the others, and is much better prepared for their job."

The spy wondered what the fat man was up to; probably stuffing his face and continuing his tawdry love affair with all things deadly, metallic, and cylindrical; the trollop. If he made it home, perhaps he'd treat the Russian floozy to a drink. Perhaps.

edited 31st Dec '12 11:35:48 AM by DoctorThunder

"E-E-Experiments....?" Fluttershy said, even more nervous. Hurting of harmless little animals no matter the reason deeply perturbed the pegasus, but Edward mentioning by fusing humans together with animals for science added another wrinkle of dread. It definitely reminded her of that one movie Rainbow Dash dragged her into about the Mad Scientist who took all those manticore and -

Luckily, Edward scratching under her chin stopped that thought process. Again it was an odd feeling that relaxed her tremendously for some reason. She even let out a content hum as the alchemist's fingers scratch her fur covered skin.....

Then Cloud asked his question about the where. "Um, I think Yee mentioned something about this place being a dead home world of his people....." she said.

And Vehk sighed, but knew that his sermon could be repaired. A lesson already known and discarded could seal the shapes of greater wisdom. He struck off his posture for one of lesser pretense, to avoid undue offense, and spoke thus;

"Profundity is only where you wish it to be, little one, and truth follows soon after. You have learnt the first untold lesson of the Triune way." He said, in tones of wisdom as deep as a whore's beauty. "There is no ceremony, but you may sing a poem of your choosing."

edited 31st Dec '12 1:04:41 PM by TheMalignancy

Fumio nodded softly.

"Sorry... He just... He makes my head hurt."

She paused.

"The good news is, we'll have a chance to fight Omega. The bad news is, we'll have to fight Omega. I don't think that's a paradox, though. Just ironic."

edited 31st Dec '12 12:17:54 PM by Scrounge

The spy raised a masked eyebrow as Vehk offered his reply, and Fumio more calmly expressed her distaste. The blue man's words once again attempted to link metaphor and profundity, but he supposed it wasn't unusual for someone to find his spherical speech both exhausting and somewhat more complex than was necessary; it was, at the very least, unsuited for the casual conversation the girl seemed to be seeking.

"Yes, I...can see where he might." the mystery gentleman acknowledged, allowing his cigarette to take one more turn - this one more savory - before crushing it beneath the crisp leather toe of his shoe.

edited 31st Dec '12 12:32:18 PM by DoctorThunder

"Is he starting to get to you, too?"

Fumio watched as the masked man took a drag off his cigarette, then slung the strap of her chainsaw over her shoulder and bowed politely.

"Perhaps we should introduce ourselves? I'm Fumio Kirisaki."

"Not just yet." the handsome rogue replied, deciding it unnecessary to elaborate directly. "But you strike me as a woman who dislikes being buried in riddles, so Monsieur Vehk is perhaps not an ideal partner for conversation."

And then came the name; one mentioned here before it was spoken aloud. 'Fumio'. A name unfamiliar, as many the spy had heard still were. 'Kirisaki' matched the slant of her eyes and pallet of her skin, though the hue of her hair did not match what he knew of Eastern biology. Then again, when compared to the blue god-man, talking duck, or miniature pegasus, she was not exactly unusual. Her tone was polite, and a great deal more even than it had been previously. How unusual that she could switch so readily between moods; her weapon of choice made her even more peculiar. In many ways, she reminded him quite a lot of someone from back home, though he was unsure of whom that might be. Anyone who waded into battle with a chainsaw could not have been all too different from those he was used to conspiring with, in any case. Most of them would probably have become frustrated with Vehk just as quickly.

"It is a pleasure, Madame Fumio." he nodded, extending a polite hand to shake, the other arm resting behind his back. His grip was practiced and relaxed; the shake of a man who felt no need to crush another's hand, deriving confidence in other ways.

"My name is Jean Dupont." he intoned naturally, as if the name were an extension of his tongue. "As you may or may not have already surmised, I specialize in the procurement of information, the trade of subtleties and secrets, and the relocation or removal of interfering factors. Simply put, I am an agent of espionage; one of the best you're likely to meet, and the only one you're ever to likely see."

The gentleman's hand excused itself from Fumio's grasp, letting the weight of his credentials settle, his portfolio stuffed with classifieds and for-your-eyes-onlys and several mundane-looking objects that were secretly knives. It was a portfolio worth having, if he could say so himself; and while he rarely had to opportunity to say so himself, he sincerely enjoyed each and every one of them.

edited 31st Dec '12 1:38:38 PM by DoctorThunder

Fumio smiled.

"A spy? Interesting... I've read a few stories about spies. But I never met a real one until now. I guess that's a good sign for them. Any spy that can be spotted by a schoolgirl can't be a very good one."

She paused.

"If you're a spy, why do you smoke?" she asked curiously. "I'd think you woudn't want to be coughing while you're sneaking around... And for that matter, why are you wearing a mask like a bank robber? That's kind of suspicious... Or is it so no one will recognize you when you're off the job?"

edited 31st Dec '12 2:54:09 PM by Scrounge

"Indeed. If I could not hide from you, I would not be able to call myself a professional." the masked man agreed, smiling to himself as she questioned his attire and occasional ashy affair. She was, as he had suspected, not a soldier or anything resembling one. She was impressionable and curious; perhaps even genuine. Perhaps. Despite this, however, she at least seemed to think she could protect herself with that chainsaw of hers, and in the spy's experience, it was unhealthy to judge impracticality as a lack of proficiency. Until he was shown otherwise, he was going to assume she was entirely correct when it came to her ability to handle herself, and that meant more observation was in order; that went without saying of course, and certainly was not limited to Fumio, but it was worth noting again.

"As for the rest, I smoke because I enjoy it, and I have thus far been able to keep it from affecting my job." he answered, not at all offended by the unheard of suggestion that nicotine might cause lung problems. It was not as though Fumio was the first to bring that to his attention. "Besides, this means I always have a cigarette on my person should the need arise for me to offer one. That is an advantage all its own. As for my mask..."

The mystery man fragmented his sentence mid-breath, waiting for the moment in which he could settle upon how best to explain; some things were obviously not going to make it past his lips, but there were a few that fit the situation just right. He'd use those, he decided. Having settled that, his smile having dropped back into one of his many pockets, he concluded with an answer he knew Fumio would relate to.

"Someday, assuming I survive, I hope to walk away from the business of espionage. And when that day comes, I would like to be able to show my face without being recognized by my past profession. This mask is a safety measure; it is, if you will, my safety net." the gentleman spun, punctuating it with a question he saw no reason to withhold. After all, of all he'd spoken to thus far, Fumio was perhaps the most likely to provide him with a straight answer. She was direct, that one. It made everything much smoother and easier when people were.

"If I may ask, Madame Fumio, I noticed you carry around a most unusual choice of weapon. Why a chainsaw, of all things?"

edited 31st Dec '12 3:24:35 PM by DoctorThunder

Fumio smiled.

"I guess you could call it a... family hierloom. Maybe a gun would be more practical in the long run... But I'd ned to train all over again. And get a gun, which isn't easy for a girl my age, especially in Japan. I've heard it's easier in other countries, like America, but I don't come from any of those. So I use what I have, and what my grandpa trained me with since I was a little girl. "

Stranger snorted. "If I was, tryin' ta, make myself a victim, slammin your punk-ass into the ground wouldn't have, happened now would it?"

Stranger took another step forward. "Oh, and heads-up; threaten me, or Fluttershy again. And well, I've got worse, things to shoot then, Bolamites."

Alright, so this pony liked the same things Winry's dog liked when it came to scratching her chin. Edward placed his arm on top of her, gently pushing her down so she would "sit" (if ponies could sit) instead of stand as he proceeded to pat her on the top of her head with one hand and scratch under it with the other. "There. Is that good enough for you?"

He scoffed when Stranger mentioned what he had just done. "I was unprepared, and that's a mistake I don't often do. Believe me, if it ever happens again- and for her sake," he nodded at Fluttershy, "let's hope it doesn't, I'll be the one winning."

Cloud resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "There won't be any trouble..."

He hesitated for a moment with his next question before smashing it into nonexistence. He had admittedly been curious about the kinds of lives people like these must have lead — Edward's in particular sounded just like the kind of life he had always wanted for himself — but he knew that whatever answer he got, it wouldn't matter. He'd still be Cloud, and they'd still be better, only it would be worse, because there was nothing more infuriating than having concrete proof that everyone was better than you. Clearly, there had been some sort of mistake when everyone else had been brought here, and they'd picked him up as well.

So he said nothing.

Dodgers stared at Mai, waiting for her to answer. "Hello? Lady?... I think she had a heart attack due to lack of emotion." He stepped in front of her, crossing his arms. "I told you to show me some emotions! What's the problem? Are you scared you won't be able to fulfill my challenge? Are you... chicken?"

"And why for her sake? You threatenin' her now, punk? You're first reaction was ta, point a weapon at us." Stranger was getting very close to Edward now. "You act like we're, a threat. Ya think with ya, fancy armour you can, do what ya want."

Stranger was right in his face now, his green eyes glowing, literally and figuratively. "I've hunted punks, thousands ah times more, dangerous than you, every day. Don't push ya, luck, kid."

Stranger was getting sick of this punk. He was just like any other scumbag. Stranger wasn't going to take anyone threatening him for being a Steef, especially not some little punk."

He nodded to Cloud. "Listen to ya friend."

Then he turned, glancing back at Fluttershy. "Ya comin with, Fluttershy? I've seen his, kind before. Chumps like him are tha, reason I'm the last."

Hopefully she'd get what he meant.

"I was talking about her state of mind, idiot." Edward said as Stranger walked away, althoug he continued to pet Fluttershy to keep her calm. "If you had been paying a tiny bit of attention at the one you wanted to protect, you would have seen how badly she reacted to her fight. In fact, I guess another fight would scare her too much, and that's why we shouldn't fight for her safety." He grinned, before giving Fluttershy one last pat and standing up. "And you're not doing a pretty god job at it. Perhaps you should, ah, think before you, ah, talk?" He asked, mimicking Stranger's unusual speech pattern.

"Come on, Doc." He said, nodding for him to follow as he started walking towards the City. "We'll need to replace my automail, right? Better get to work."

"Um... right. Yeah." He zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, then shot a quick apologetic look at Stranger and Fluttershy before jogging after Ed. Lucky he'd met him now... Jeez, I really do suck...

Not that it mattered anymore. He'd at least managed to clear that particular hurdle...

"So, um... do you know any place specific, or are we just gonna wing it?" he asked, once he'd caught up.

"Wing it, of course." Edward said, turning to face Cloud as he walked backwards. "We need to find some designs first. Then, material. Then, a mechanic who knows these kind of things. And then we move onto the building and replacement process." He sighed, turning back around. "This would be much more easy if Winry was here... I don't suppose you have any good mechanics back in your home, Doc?"

"Well, yeah... I guess... but they're not here. I mean, I'm interested in machines and stuff, so I have some ideas — I mean, they're not anything amazing, and I've never really — um, I designed this motorbike and this swo — this other thing I'm gonna build one day... so I guess... I mean, I think I kind of get how your arm and leg works — at least, the moving stuff — well — if I got the materials — I mean, if you don't want me working on it, that's fine too, but it looked really neat, and, um... never mind," he blurted. He would have given anything at that moment to have the earth swallow him up. All Ed had done was ask a simple question, and he'd gone and rambled on about his prosthetic limbs like a twelve year-old girl about a Soldier. Very professional of him.

He winced internally. He could practically head Ed's sarcastic impression of him already.

Oh, just great. He has to face off against a godly entity knowns as Omega without any compensation for all of his would-be troubles.

Envy scowled. "Fine, fine! You win, old man. It doesn't look like I have much of a choice anyway, geez...,"

And with that, he leaned against one of the crystal spires of the Crystal City, seeing that there's not much else for him to do in this god-forsaken land.

"Doc!" Edward yelled, interrupting Cloud's ramble. The blonde looked at him for a moment, before smiling: not the somewhat-smarmy grin, but the more calm and friendly smile he had rarely shown to others in the Crystal City. "I'm sure you'll do a great job with it, Doc." He said, putting his hand around Cloud's neck and grinning. "But you're going to need to study first! Read some books, look at some blueprints. I trust ya, Doc, but I want you to be on the top of your game if you're building my new automail!"

Cloud stared as his brain abruptly ground to a halt, momentarily having failed to process what he just said.

He trusted him.

He trusted him.

He trusted him.

"..."

Oh, right, I'm gaping like an idiot. Shitshitshit —

"U-um, yeah, no problem! Absolutely. You won't regret it."

"Better than last time, at least, for if what we have been told is true, we have a goal that is both noble and just, to prevent the destruction of all that exists and destroy Omega, once and for all. But that is at least some ways in the future. For the present, there is little but more challenges. Still, we have some new allies that I think you will like. Would you like to meet them? They are, as before, a strange group with both light and darkness among them, but mostly to the good, I think."