experimentalfma

[experimentalfma]

"There's a shop in the center of town that has some interesting flavors. I haven't tried them all yet since I don't drink it very often," Al only really treated himself to anything with caffeine occasionally, but it sounded like they'd be having a busy day, so now seemed as good a time as any. But there was one other particularly relevant factor about this coffee shop. "They also have a cat who lives there," he added almost nonchalantly, but the importance of this shone clearly in his eyes.

He grinned. "You're gonna love dancing." There was nothing quite like cutting lose on the dance floor. Especially if it was full of people having a good time. Greed love that sort of thing. To be in the thick of it. To be surrounded by that kind of energy. He couldn't get enough of it. He shrugged. "Sure we can get coffee if you want." Greed never really got into the whole coffee thing considering he never had a short supply of energy, but some of the fancier, sweeter kinds were alright. But this was Ed's brother and Greed was determined to take him out on the town for some fun, and if the kid wanted some coffee then that's what they would do. "Know of any good places that sell it?"

[experimentalfma]

He caught on to the beat quickly enough, moving his arms and feet in time with the music. Sakura's bright smile as contagious, further lifting his spirits that she was having a good time. As the song's tempo began to build to build, he offered a hand to spin her.

@experimentalfma

Sakura followed Jean onto the dance floor, where other people were having a good time. The music was playing and people were enjoying it. "Yeah some here." She answered. "I haven't been dancing in a long while, and it was with my close friends."

She started shaking her hips and moving with the music with a bright smile on her face.

[experimentalfma]

Shit! It was for someone else! That almost guaranteed he'd have to make it out to someone. Well, she hadn't asked him to write anything else, so maybe he could get away with just the autograph. That was the safest option. He'd try that and just hope and pray she didn't ask for more. There was no way to turn that request down without looking suspicious.

So for now he just gracefully accepted the pen and notepad, keeping an even expression while he tried to convince himself that even if the waitress did ask for a dedication, it was unlikely that she or Momoi had studied Enji Mizu's handwriting.

As he bent down to sign the paper, he was grateful his hair brushed down over his eye, temporarily obscuring her from his sight and hiding his face. Good. Less of a chance for any noticeable hesitation to slip through. One quick movement of the pen, and it was over. Hopefully. He offered both the notepad and pen to her, smile back in place.

"I appreciate you keeping it quiet that I'm here." And equally appreciated the option to change the subject to distract her before she could ask him to write something else. "I don't mind signing an autograph now and then, but this place is too relaxing for that kind of commotion. I'd like to be able to come back here some time. Maybe it could even become a more regular spot," he added with a shrug.

"Though if I start coming more often, that means I'll be seeing more of you, too. What's your name? So I can greet you properly next time."

The answer stole Haruko a sigh of relief. Despite being a VIP, Enji Mizu seemed a rather friendly one after all. He probably deserved the popularity, if he was so nice with fans.

"Thank you! Just a moment, please!"

She rummaged in the pocket of her apron, fishing the notepad she used for orders and the pen she wrote them with. She browsed te pages until she found a clean one, and offered everything to Enji Mizu with a grateful smile.

"It's for my friend Momoi," she said. "I had her promise not to spread the word about you being here, don't worry. My boss is not exactly a fan of loud crowds," she explained with a chuckle. "And she would have to lose a client, or more, because of them."

[experimentalfma]

Please reblog this if your blog is crossover friendly

aka you are happy to write with muses who aren't in your same fandom (fandomless muses of similar genre for instance)

+ specify in tags what kind of crossovers you're open to

[experimentalfma]

If we are mutuals, you are welcome to: 

tag me in starters 

answer my open starters

spam my inbox with memes

ask me to spam you with memes

scream at me in ims at all ungodly hours

randomly drop a plot idea on me whenever you want 

never be scared that you’re bothering me in any way bc, if i followed you, i love your blog and I am always down for interacting with you!  <3  <3  <3

[experimentalfma]

( can child muses interact )

Absolutely! Child muses can interact with anyone you like. :)

[experimentalfma]

"Super powers?" He gave a snort of amusement. "You could say that. I can shift my skin to an impenetrable shield, and I'll heal from any injury. Hell, I can even come back to life if it kills me." Which he was not above showing off of given the chance. "You know, I actually know someone like you. Another 'rock person from space.'" He grinned at her wording. "My partner, actually."

@experimentalfma || x

"Huh, that's interesting. I didn't know people like you existed." She was referencing Greed's remark about being an embodiment of sin. "People think I'm interesting too, being a rock person from space and all" Black Star couldn't help but snicker at her personal remark. "Oh, oooooh! You must have like, super powers right? Like an anime character?!" The Gem would ask excitedly, even though Black Star had abilities herself.

[experimentalfma]

He raised an eyebrow and glanced down to watch her fingers walking up his chest. "You can't be intimidated? Interesting." Greed flashed her an amused grin and raised his shield on both hands, and set one claw on the tip of one of the fingers on his chest. "But then again, neither can I." As if he were daring her to try.

Bella moved a hand to her mouth and let out a laugh! What a cocky yet interesting man~! " Well I am not possible to intimidate so I suppose you were trying to amuse me~"

She folded one arm neatly behind her back, leaning forward and walked two fingers up his chest with her other hand.

" Charming~"

[experimentalfma]

Havoc ran through the train maps in his head. He'd never gone to Resembool, but he had an approximate idea of where it was. "Alright," he started slowly. "Ed's house, huh? Resembool's not too bad. The train line near the shop goes toward East City, and I can catch a connection from there. Shouldn't take too long to get there if I leave early enough. But if there are no hotels, you and your men are stuck with me for the night," he added with a lighthearted shrug. They'd figure it out. From what he knew about Resembool, it was a very small town, possibly too small for a hotel, but he couldn't say for sure. But if it was that close, it'd be easy enough to get back and forth looking for somewhere to live, too. A week to find a place and get set up really wasn't enough time, but considering the commute was possible in about half a day, this setup would work well enough for the short term.

He accepted the sheet of paper and scanned over the number, then pulled out his wallet and slipped it inside to keep it safe. "Next Friday at eight," he repeated to drill it into his head. "Alright, I'll be there." He gave a firm nod and slipped his wallet back into his pocket. "How's a few hours early sound? I'll check the train schedule and give you a call to give you a better idea when I can be there."

Havoc spent the next week checking newspapers and making calls regarding houses that might be for sale around Resembool and preparing other arrangements for moving and Greed's raid. There was one house that looked promising, but it wouldn't be move-in ready until after the raid was over, which was fine by him. He could just check it out once work was done. Besides, that way if this whole business of joining up with Greed's crew didn't work out, he wouldn't be permanently tied down anywhere. But that was really a worst case scenario. He was already committed to this and fully intended to see it though.

The train ride to Resembool was uneventful, and the walk to Ed's house passed easily enough. He'd stopped by a small pub by the train station to get something to eat before he arrived, and by six o'clock, he was knocking at the door with a slight flutter of anticipation. Not enough for any real concern, just that he was still determining his own expectations. But he had no reservations about stepping inside an letting his gaze sweep over the room before settling on Greed. "Not a bad setup you've got here. A lot cozier than you'd expect for a hideout for an underground lifestyle," he teased.

"We're based in Resembool, for now." Greed was always on the move, looking for a new angle. But right now they didn't exactly have a permanent place set up. Just the house Ed had built on his mom's old property. Greed wanted to set up somewhere else that would have a more convenient location but had yet to find the right place. "You're probably not too far from where we meet if you live out East." That made things simpler. "If not then we can arrange some transportation for you to meet up with us."

The information he gathered would put then out west for a few days, but the initial meeting would be at Ed's house. "I'm just here for a visit too." Ed had wanted to come to Central to visit some old friends. Greed didn't have a reason to go with him so he decided to scope out the city and see what it had to offer. He liked it. And it was tempting to set up base here though it might take some convincing on his part because he knew Ed might have a problem with it considering Roy Mustang was based here too.

"Yeah we meet at Ed's house usually unless something else comes up. For this job it'll be me, you, and a couple of my men. You'll meet them before we do the job but they're solid people." It probably would have been better to have Ed come Havoc's first time, but he wasn't available. Maybe seeing Ed at the meeting would help with any reservations Havoc might have. Greed reached into his coat pocket an pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. He jotted down Ed's phone number. "This is Ed's number. You'll be able to reach me before the meeting if you got any questions. We meet next Friday at eight o'clock at night but you can come earlier if you want to get settled in a bit and see how we work things then we'll leave for the west in the morning."

[experimentalfma]

Has Greed ever cried? If not, what's the closest he's ever gotten to?

Only once. Usually his response to grief is closer to anger, but he did cry the first time he lost everything.

200 years ago, when Greed still worked under Father, he had collected a small group of human companions that he'd gotten close to but kept away from Father and the other homunculi. Though Father saw no reason to take them away from him, Envy decided otherwise and slaughtered them all.

When Greed found out, the fight between him and Envy escalated until Father stepped in. Greed demanded that Envy take responsibility and be discipled for what he did, but Father brushed it off as unnecessary attachments and that humans are weak and live fleeting, useless lives, and they can easily be replaced. The other homunculi didn't contradict him.

So he Greed denounced Father and his siblings and turned his back on them for good. He left Father's hideout to go find a way live on his own, to just live for himself. But he had no one and nothing, and there was no place to go. His family was the enemy, and he was going to have to start completely from scratch. After a few hours when the anger and disbelief had finally simmered down enough for the emptiness to take over, then he finally cried for the first and only time.

[experimentalfma]

"Wrath," he answered quickly, "but...I know there's another homunculus with the same name. He's Father's Wrath. I didn't come from him!" As if that clarified anything. But there were other ways to create homunculi, even if it was exceedingly dangerous and had only been successful once, though at significant cost to human life. There had been a military project to create immortal soldiers capable of using alchemy, but the actual fruition of the experiment had taken place on Yock Island, far from prying eyes and interference, in case there would be a conflict in trying to use another system to create a life would could even remotely interfere with the philosopher's stones in Father and the his homunculi. These soldiers needed sentience in a different way than the mannikin soldiers to be able to perform a successful transmutation. Though Gluttony may have been a failed attempt at creating a pathway to the Gate, Wrath was able to access the Gate for alchemy the same way a human would, though he had no way to use it beyond that.

As for why he wasn't there when everything happened during the Promised Day....he couldn't be sure. The whole thing was still confusing. "Father sent me away. He told me to look for another sacrifice in case the last one he needed didn't perform a human transmutation in time. But...I didn't know where to look." It all came out in a rush, but as he continued speaking, reliving the chaos of that day, it became more of a halting jumble. "I was in the city, but there was an earthquake and...everything went dark. There were these...arms...coming out of the ground... Shadowy arms! And people started falling over and...I-I don't know what happened after that!" Like everyone else in Amestris, Wrath had collapsed lifeless to the ground, though unlike humans, he'd also lost the souls in his stones, and they hadn't been returned after Father lost control, leaving him with only a single life left and no healing ability. All he had left was his alchemy, the one power not derived from a philosopher's stone.

He shook his head rapidly as he continued, voice cracking in desperation. "I don't know why I'm here! I just wanted to go home, but everything's been destroyed! I just...don't know where else to go!" Granted, he didn't really know where here was either, but he'd been wandering aimlessly since the Promised Day, and bumping into Greed was purely coincidental.

Greed did feel a little bad about being so blunt given the kid's reaction, but he also wasn't about to sugarcoat or lie about it either. Besides, he didn't know this kid so he wasn't sure why he felt a little bad at all. Except... being around Ling and Ed had changed him. Probably for the better if he were honest with himself. That time with his friends had given him clarity about himself that he had never had before. It had also taught him empathy. He had always liked humans and chimera but before Ling and Ed he had never truly appreciated them as something other than possessions.

He had learned how to have friends and that people were more than something to possess and enjoy. Maybe that's why he felt bad for this kid. But he also didn't trust the boy either. If he were upset about the other homunculi dying then that meant he had known them and could have known what they were up and not have a problem with it. Greed didn't like the idea of that at all. He didn't like the possibility of some of his Father's allies being around. Though he wasn't sure how much trouble a kid could be.

His eyes widened a bit at the boy's confession. Another Homunculus? How had Father even been able to make him? "What's your name?" As far as he knew Father only took the sins from his own body to make them. Had there been another way to create a homunculus? He always believed there was no such thing as no such thing so anything regarding Father was possible. "And how come you weren't with the others when it all went down?" It was strange to him that this boy had been kept away from the rest of his siblings. He had left Father early on enough that it didn't surprise him he had never met the kid before considering he had never met Wrath until their fight in the tunnels. "If you come here to start trouble, don't. I won't hurt you unless you try to hurt me or others."

[experimentalfma]

"Depends. Which one cures your boredom?" Though considering that Greed was equally bored, he may have had some bias.

"... Is that supposed to intimidate me or amuse me~?"

[experimentalfma]

@experimentalfma

old version (2020) under read more

[experimentalfma]

Though the whole thing was certainly strange, Catherine nodded in agreement that an explanation could come later. Finding a partner for a duet wasn't an opportunity that came often, after all. "Alright, later." She set her fingers on the piano keys. "Are you alright with following along if I start a melody? I can build off of whatever harmony you create." It would be something new that they could build off of together, something just between the two of them.

"My gem storage. It would take a while to explain so..I can explain afterwards if you want. I think we should just focus on the music right now." Spinel wasn't against the idea of explaining, but it would mean delaying the music.

[experimentalfma]

Something was off. Though an observant man, Hughes couldn't quite put a finger on what it was, but this man's reaction to the photo was almost...was it fear? Of two little girls? It didn't make any sense to him. The enthusiasm that normally accompanied showing off his family faded into suspicion.

Hazel eyes flicked toward where Garry's finger pointed but quickly shifted back to studying a face that seemed to be desperately fighting for control. "That's Mary," he replied in a slow, measured tone. "Elicia is the one holding the artwork. You wouldn't happen to be a family man yourself, would you?" He kept his tone light, but it wasn't as bright as it had been. Just a simple attempt at keeping the conversation flowing, of course.

Garry does start to tune in properly, registering a doting father and letting him be swept up with the enthusiasm. It was a welcome distraction, visually not focussing in but smiling as Hughes spoke about his daughters. Garry looked away from the picture of two girls with a blink, about to say something about how lucky the two sounded.

Then the name Mary dropped like a brick of ice, and the smile held even as his heart stopped. It was a coincidence, it's just a name. It's coincidence. He saw brown hair earlier, right?

the pushing of the pictures closer forces him to focus, paranoid alarm bells forcing him to look at the photo. First, the vibrant yellow hair. Blondes are common and hair usyally darkens with age, it's coincidence it's coincidence-

Those bright blue eyes seem to stare right at him, and Garry's breath hitches in his throat, pupils shrinking. in a desperate, desperate bid to be wrong he lifts a finger, holding on best he can to not step backward.

Just... Garry points at Mary, trying so hard to sound casual, as he asks, "Oh, is that one Elicia?" There's almost a hope to his voice, a hope to be right.

[experimentalfma]

Greed stared at her uncomprehendingly at the sounds. He'd never heard anything quite like that before, but from the shifting expressions on her face, it looked like she was trying to communicate something. Though he couldn't understand what it was, it conveyed an intense emotional response that defied any language barrier.

Though when she shifted back to human language, some of the tension drained from his shoulders, though his bewilderment didn't quite fade. Regenerating. She'd just been regenerating. It wasn't the same as the regeneration that he knew, but there was no denying that she was as perfectly fine as if nothing had ever happened.

He sighed at her apology, though it was unclear whether it was due to relief, frustration at the entire situation, or just that he didn't find an apology necessary. "Well, you're not dead, and that's the part I care about. Though I'd like to get my hands on whoever hurt you in the first place," he huffed.

Still, they did have to address the blood, some of which he'd carelessly gotten on her shoulders. He let go of her with a derisive snort and shoved his bloody hands into his pockets to pull out handfuls of what looked like shards of her gem, shining innocently in the moonlight. "Some bastard showed up to rub these in my face. Apparently they wanted me to think that they'd shattered you. They got what they deserved for killing you." He shrugged it off almost casually, as if a revenge killing was less important than the fact that she had not, in fact, actually been killed. And he visibly had no regrets.

Spinel went through all the emotions when Greed grabbed her shoulders and spun her around: joy, relief, confusion, worry, guilt, and so much more. Overwhelmed, she couldn't even manage to respond in English, only replying with a string of curse words in the Gems language, which would sound like nothing more than chirping for someone who didn't speak the language.

About a million thoughts were running through her mind. Why was he covered in blood? The Gem felt a pang of worry, but it quickly passed. Greed had healing abilities. Even if he had gotten hurt, he would be fine now. But...why did he look so shocked to see her?

"I...I wasn't dead. I was just regenerating inside my gem. I didn't get the chance to explain before...that whole thing happened. I'm so sorry, Greed. I didn't mean to make you worry like this."

Something about the obvious worry in his eyes gave her a fluttery feeling. He cared. There was never really doubt about it, but this seemed to really plant the idea in her mind forever. Right now, she wanted nothing more than just wrap her arms around him and hug him. But she needed to address the elephant in the room first.

"...Say..um..why are you covered in blood? Is it your blood? Did something happen?"

[experimentalfma]

"Sure thing." Hughes accepted the measuring cup and scooped out the sugar, pouring it into the saucepan. Selecting the necessary measuring cups for the other ingredients, he followed suit with the soy sauce, water, and potato starch. Taking a mixing spoon from the counter, he stirred the ingredients together and set the saucepan on the stove but didn't turn it on yet. "Alright. So is this one of those sauces where you have to mix it constantly once the heat's on?" he asked.

@experimentalfma

"Well the first thing we're going to make is syrup-coated anko dumplings." Sakura said as she put the apron on. "You can mix sugar, soy sauce, water, and potato starch in a saucepan. While I prep the dough." She instructed. "You can find the measuring cups here." She said as she handed him one of them.