theboilingalchemist

[theboilingalchemist]

... what--?!

Oh, dear. This honestly had not crossed his mind even once. No wonder she was so reluctant to tell him. Crap, now he’d embarrassed them both.

“I--I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. I’ve put you in an uncomfortable position. I’ll see myself out at once. Once again, I apologize.”

Well, she doesn’t seem overly amused by his response. Was it really not obvious? She grunted, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

     “ I’m unnaturally aroused, aight? Jeez, that much would be obvious to most. “

[theboilingalchemist]

That really did sound like she was having woman problems. Unashamed, Claude opted to just ask her.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but are you on your menstrual cycle, by any chance? I don’t think it’s gross or anything, don’t worry. It’s a natural process most women go through.”

     “ I wouldn’t s-suggest a walk. That would only serve to make m-my current condition muuuuch worse… “

Matilda turned around, hiding her face in her hands.

     “ It’s embarrassing, I-I do not wish to vocalize my current issue. “

[theboilingalchemist]

“I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific. Are you saying you don’t have work to do, or something? If you want, we can go out, take a nice walk.”

     “ O-Occupied? I wish I was occupied-! Maybe I could get this nagging sensation t-to die off… “

[theboilingalchemist]

The first thing that came to mind were her chimeras; the second was her period. Neither idea appalled him.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to push you. Like I said, I’ll come back if you’re occupied right now, no problem.”

     “ Y-Your timing is truly awful, Claude. “

She took a few steps back, nervously rubbing her arm as she tried to wipe that twisted smile off of her face.

     “ I-I’m uh, h-havin’ some real odd issues at current. I don’t think you’d wish to h-hear about them. “

[theboilingalchemist]

Matilda wasn’t sure what had gotten into her here lately. She was just so suddenly needy. She heard a knock at the door and perked up, letting out a quiet and pathetic whine, her legs trembling slightly. She slowly opened the door, her face lit up like a Christmas tree, highlighting the freckles that dusted her face.

    “ Hhnn…y-yes? “

Despite having only met her a little while ago, Claude could instantly tell something was wrong. Her body shook and her cheeks flushed, indicating a fever. Thing is, most people with fevers didn’t smile like girls with a highschool crush.

“Hello, Matilda. I bought some take-out, but their smallest menus were two-person.” He held up a plastic bag. “I was hoping you hadn’t eaten yet. Are you feeling alright, by the way? I can leave you your share and come back later.”

[theboilingalchemist]

“Thank you,” Claude chimed, and he gently caressed the chimera’s head. “It’s part dog, isn’t it? Do you treat it like one? Does it eat dog food?”

“--oh, I should mind my manners. My name is Claude, Claude Thomaes. I’m a State Alchemist. What’s yours?”

   Matilda beamed when he complimented her on how well she cared for the creature. She took great pride in caring for her chimeras, so she was happy someone else saw that she was doing a good job with them.

  “ You certainly can. I don’t think he would mind one bit. “

[theboilingalchemist]

“Well, by the looks of this lil’ guy, you’re doing a great job caring for them,” Claude smiled, and he tentatively lifted his hand. “May I pet him? I’m quite curious now, being an alchemist myself. Always thirsty for knowledge and such.”

     “ Multiple of them. They keep me company out here. “

Matilda knew she should keep them all locked away in her home, but then that wouldn’t give them much room to run about and be free. She wanted to keep them as happy as possibly.

[theboilingalchemist]

That took Claude by surprise.

“Really? You have chimeras for pets? How unusual. I know they exist, but they’re a rather controversial topic among alchemists. I wouldn’t expect them to just wander around, unless they escaped from somewhere. It’s my first time seeing one.”

     “ Well, he IS. “

The chimera wiggled around in Matilda’s arms, letting out happy yips. 

     “ He is one that I took in. I have another like him, and he’s a rat hybrid, however. I’m unsure what this lil fella is fused with. “

[theboilingalchemist]

“That’s quite alright. I’m a fan of most animals, with the exception of cats. I’ve never seen an animal like this before, though. You’d think it was a chimera of sorts.”

The chimera made a small series of noises, mostly yips and soft barks. The creature seemed curious about the male, tilting it’s head and walking around him. It perked up when it heard a loud whistle, running towards the source of whistle. 

The chimera ran up to a young woman, wiggling about excited. It was almost like it was alerting her of his presence. She knelt down, picking the chimera up and holding it.

     “ My apologies. He really loves people. “

[theboilingalchemist]

Claude bumped into a creature he couldn’t quite identify. It was the size of a dog, and parts of it even looked like a dog, but he couldn’t call it a proper dog. It almost looked as if it had been... fused with a different animal.

“Hello,” he smiled, kneeling down before the strange being. “What are you?”

[theboilingalchemist]

Claude held up the tool with a friendly smile on his face.

"Do you mean this one?"

"All right. Nobody move. Somewhere on this street is the 070 screwdriver I just bought.”

[theboilingalchemist]

Every smack produced a scream on Claude's part. His captor was clearly not holding back, and he knew he deserved every second of torture she put him through. It was nothing compared to all the pain and suffering he himself had so gleefully inflicted on innocent civilians.

But he wasn't innocent. He was a cold, reckless murderer. And Claude knew he deserved this entire ordeal for his crimes--that and more.

By the time she came to face him, he was panting once more. The sharp ache lingered in his fresh wounds, as did a light blush on his face. Despite the torture, there remained a strange tingle in his stomach.

And all Claude said was simply a blank: "Thank you."

     Her teeth bared in satisfaction, the blonde reeled back and let the whip crack once more across the flesh of his back. Three more times she let the cord fall on him, until finally she tucked the tool under her arm and walked up to inspect her work.

     Dragging a finger across the now raised and bleeding skin, she smiled. “This is a good look for you.” Dabbing her finger against the saturated cuts, she coated it in red and brought it to her lips. Coming around the front to face him, she licked her finger clean, a smirk of her face.

[theboilingalchemist]

Oh no, oh no, oh n--

"GAH...!"

With a loud, breathless cry, Claude fell forward, staying upright only thanks to the chains. He hissed sharply at the pain she had so mercilessly inflicted on him, having no doubt the large cut across his back was the first of many.

... but he had to admit: in a strange way, it hurt less than the bat.

      “Oh, what a shame. You’ll have to wait though. We’re not done just yet.” Smiling as she found exactly what she had been looking for, she turned back to face him, whip in hand. Without a moment to waste, she stepped behind his and reeled back before letting the lash of the cord crack across his back loudly.

[theboilingalchemist]

Claude now wiggled on the floor with one foot, unable to put any pressure on his injured leg. He panted lightly, relieved to see her dispose of the bat. He smiled as a bead of sweat ran down his temple and replied: "I'm a tad thirsty, actually. I didn't get much to drink earlier."

     ”That was fun, huh?” She said, rather elated at his cries of pain. Stepping away, she leaned the bat up against the far wall as she scanned her remaining tools. “So, Mr. Alchemist. Tell me how you are feeling right now.”

[theboilingalchemist]

This time, she got more out of him than just a sharp inhalation. Claude's eyes squeezed shut as he threw out a short but loud yell. Again, his body was strong enough to save itself from fractures, but not from the pain--which seared through his leg like fire. With that hard a blow, he was lucky it wasn't bent in some unnatural way.

      “Oooo,” She cooed, as if observing pleasing results from an experiment. “All in stride, I see! I guess that means I’m not trying hard enough, no?” Taking the bat up again, this time she leveled it at his left shin. Swinging in a wide arch, she cracked the bat against his leg, harder this time.

     Surly that would elicit a more exciting response. 

[theboilingalchemist]

Claude watched her in silence the whole time, not looking away until she finally hit him--and forced him to shut his eyes as he exhaled a pained gasp. It was only thanks to his years of military experience that his body had hardened and prevented the bat from shattering a couple of ribs. 

But he knew she was far from done, and that this was only a practice hit.

      His words brought a smile to her face. He was being cheeky, but she liked it. People who cried and begged for their lives were utterly annoying, so his resistance and stubborn attitude was somewhat of a relief. Extended her arm to full length, she pointed the bat at his chest as if to challenge him. “Trust me, you’re not going to be needing it. And between you and me, you look better without it.

     The grin turned sadistic and she brought the bat back and gripped it with both hands. Leveling the bat, she practiced a slow arching swing aimed right at his gut before flashing her eyebrows in anticipation. Winking, she leaned into the final swing and delivered a hefty blow right below his ribs. “Woo ho ho~” She exhaled an excited breath, hopping in place as she leaned in the bat to watch his reaction. She hadn’t used her full strength, but it still should have packed a punch.

[theboilingalchemist]

Uh-oh. If she swung that bat hard enough--which she undoubtedly would--, she could easily break his bones. Claude had endured a lot of damage to his body in the past, but a broken bone could only heal if he went to a hospital. Which, now that he was at her nonexistent mercy, was not an option.

"Heh..." Claude cast his eyes on his torn shirt. "If you ask me, you've already started. I quite liked that shirt; it was very comfy."

     When she returned to the basement Claude was awake, though from the look on his face she guessed her kick hadn’t gone unnoticed. Nodding a greeting, she walked the the back and started to rummage through it. Her face lit up as she slide a baseball bat from the sack, followed by a short range whip and smaller bag of metallic surgical tools. Hanging the whip on the far wall and setting the tools in the chair, she wrapped her fingers around the bat, slowly turning it for him to see. 

     ”This first day if going to be somewhat of a chore for you…” She began, voice almost apologetic, though the smile in her eyes told a different story. “A bit of a test day. To see how much you can handle.”