011 Things Acquired - [action; FOURTH WALL]

[ossifragant]

[This time, when the shift happens, Greed is prepared. It's been six months, and it's finally hit him that given how long he spent locked away in a prison with no exit, it shouldn't feel like he's been here a long time-- what that really means is it's been seven months since he broke free of Dante's grasp, and that is a big deal no matter how he looks at it. And yet it does feel like a long time, precisely because it's been half a year without Dante.

He's too proud of himself, like he had been upon first finding himself in the region.

Yesterday, the snow had bothered him because of how cold it was. Today, now that he can't quite feel the coldness of the snow, it's more entertaining than anything else. Maybe in a few days there will be enough snow for him to cause problems with. It's a little unfortunate there isn't enough snow on the ground for him to do anything with it now, but he'll deal with it.

As it is, shifting his hand (his entire body, really) into its carbon-black form is something he's missed.

Terrorizing an entire city would be pretty damn easy to do at the moment, but Greed is going to restrain himself, poorly. Prowling around and generally looking like he's up to something makes him look like the least subtle cat possible isn't something Greed is going to get away with for long. Maybe he'll be able to find someone he recognizes before one of the locals who haven't been horribly glitched some to ask him what the hell he's doing.

Or, more likely, he'll get bored halfway through whatever he's currently doing in favor of paying a visit to his favorite cafe.]

Comments

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[Greed wasn't the only one out for a stroll. A young woman, clad in black, stepped lively down the way. Despite her apparent happiness, there was a malicious glint in her blue eyes as she glanced at everything around here.

There was simply way too much to do now. So many people to kill if she had to.

Of course, Greed gets a longer than normal glance. She almost stares, really. Wow, what the hell are you.]

[ossifragant]

[Greed notices the staring, turning to look at the young woman for a long moment. His confusion is fairly evident.]

Can I help you?

[He sounds confused more than anything else.]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[Veronica was silent for a moment longer, then, whatever tension she had disappeared and she shook her head.]

I don't think so, unless you know what's been happening around here.

[armoredsoul]

[Greed, you're depressingly obvious with your skulking there. Al actually pauses and watches him from across the street with a raised eyebrow before leaning down...]

[A snowball explodes into powder on the side of Greed's head, and if he traces it back to its source he'll see a young alchemist giggling entirely too much over something like that. It's one way to get his attention, right?]

[ossifragant]

[If he wasn't obvious, he wouldn't be Greed, now would he?

That being said, when he notices Al is the one who threw the snowball at him he raises his brows at the kid, taking a moment to brush the snow out of his hair (it's getting a little long now, isn't it? He needs to take care of that).]

Hey, Alphonse.

A "hello" would have been acceptable.

[...to his credit, Greed sounds amused more than anything else.]

[armoredsoul]

Yeah, but where's the fun in that?

[He glances up and down the street, checking for cars before he trots across to Greed.] You certainly looked like you were up to something, though.

[garbagechild]

<sub>[As luck would have it, Greed is NOT one of the people that Wrath is looking for today. Mostly because he was DEAD before the youngest of the Homunculi ever even had a chance to hear much about him, so, you know, when Master says 'Go find the others', he's kind of looking for.]

[You know.]

[Alive people.]

[... But even though he's got important responsibilities, that doesn't mean he can't have a little fun, right? Dante had specified no overwhelming need for secrecy, so...]</sub>

RRRAAAAAAAWWWWWGHHHH!

<sub>[A young Lass sprints screaming past the cafe. People running and screaming aren't exactly uncommon on these weekends, but in this particular case it probably has something to do with what seems to be a SMALL MASS OF UNBRUSHED HAIR in a costume remarkably like Envy's chasing after her with clawed hands and a wild laugh.]

[HAHA YEAH ALL YOU HUMANS BETTER RUN, YOU DUMB... HUMANS!]</sub>

[ossifragant]

[...Child. What on earth are you doing?

It's not like subtlety is really Greed's thing either, but he's going to put a stop to this immediately. The only person who's going to be doing massive property damage and frightening the locals today is Greed.

So he's going to very casually try and pick the kid up by the back of his collar.

You know, as you do.]

Knock it off.

[garbagechild]

_{[The last thing Wrath expects is for someone to YOINK HIM OFF THE GROUND, so Greed catches his collar and lifts him up with little more than a flail and a startled yelp in protest.]}

Wh-- let me go!

_{[Twisting around in his captor's grasp, Wrath bares his sharky teeth tries to throw a punch. ... But considering Greed has arms that are probably about as long as Wrath is TALL, it doesn't exactly connect.]}

[murimurimuri]

[Straight out of the Alpha Complex, a lost and confused Simon has already Disney princessed three different Pokemon - a Pachirisu, Plusle, and Minun - who are now riding along on his head and shoulders, respectively. When he sees Greed, the spark of recognition (and relief) is unmistakable.]

Greeeeed! There you are!

[ossifragant]

[Now that startles Greed right out of his prowling walk because that is someone calling for him that he doesn't recognize at all.

That almost never happens. He takes about twelve seconds do decide this guy can't possibly be someone the Greed from the other Amestris would know before speaking.

His confusion is pretty evident.]

Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't believe I've met you before.

[...]

Obviously you know me, though.

[murimurimuri]

[This catches Simon totally off-guard, and he freezes for a second before gasping melodramatically.]

Omigawd I'm sooo sorry! I totally mistook you for somebody else!

[preybeforemeals]

[...Greed, you are really just cementing Tsukiyama's opinion that you are not at all a subtle man.

But, lacking in refinement though you are, he's got to admit general curiosity as to exactly where you're going there, good sir - to say nothing of the fact that there have been some...rather interesting physical changes that he's been made aware of as of first thing this morning, though he's doing perfectly well at concealing everything for now. So!]

That's the look of someone who's up to something if I've ever seen it.

Enjoying the day, Greed-san?

[ossifragant]

[Greed stops pretty quickly, brightening when he sees Tsukiyama.]

Nothing that interesting, I assure you.

[Which isn't a complete lie; if he had a solid plan it might be a different story, but as it is, Greed isn't actively looking to cause any specific trouble.]

It's been a good day so far. I told you before that this was going to happen sooner or later. It's a bit like saying hello to an old friend.

[He's very well aware that Tsukiyama will ask about the Shield, but he'll only show it when explicitly asked. As careless as Greed is, he isn't quite stupid enough to shift in public, even if people won't remember it after the weekend is over.]

[preybeforemeals]

I wouldn't take you to be the sort to engage in boring things, but I'll take your word for it.

[And oh, he's going to ask, but like hell if he's going to demand it in public. He knows how these things work.]

I believe you also told me you had something to show me, when this day came. Is that still on the table?

[deaftly]

[Greed isn't the only one trying to control himself today. Naki wants nothing more than to go all out and kill people, but unfortunately Tsukiyama already warned him about all this and he did say he wouldn't do anything stupid...

So he just so happens to walk by the cafe, grinning when he recognizes Greed. He immediately makes his way to Greed's table and takes a seat.]

Hey! It's good to see you again.

[ossifragant]

[It's a good thing Greed is strong enough if something happens, he'll be able to pull Naki off of the poor NPC. Maybe.

As it is, he brightens when he notices the man.]

Hey, Naki. It's been a while.

[...you okay buddy?]

[glaciates]

[Isaac still isn't fond of Goldenrod City, but he's gotten a lot better about being here than he was when he first arrived. He almost doesn't stand out! Of course there's no disguising his height, so...

He ends up running into Greed prowling around on the streets and even Isaac can tell that Greed's up to something.]

Hey. You alright?

[Distracting Greed is totally the way to go here, right?]

[ossifragant]

[Greed's subtlety needs some damn work, jeez.

He stops at that, smiling faintly.]

I'm fine.

[He's just been busy being up to no good. No big deal.]

These weekends are interesting, aren't they?

[swallowednosun]

[Martel is out walking, because really, when you go from being DEAD to being NOT-DEAD, there’s not much left to do but take advantage of it. She wants to know how and why and what the hell, but she’s BREATHING again.

Hell yes she’s going to take advantage of it.

The brightly coloured... animals are more than a little odd, but she’s just going to roll with it and see what the hell happens.

So.

Walking.

Only she doesn’t expect to see a familiar fur collar face. The most familiar face. The face of a dead man. The man who abandoned her. Left her with Alphonse in the woods. They were a team, damn it. They were supposed to face this shit together.

She’s torn between being happy to see him, to have the CHANCE to see him again, and being absolutely furious (and wanting to punch him, but he’s the Ultimate Shield and she knows better, no matter how satisfying it might be, a broken hand is a broken hand), and she can do both, FEEL both.]

Greed.

[ossifragant]

[If there was a voice Greed had been hoping against hope to hear, but never expecting it, (because he'd spent four days in May hoping to hear it again only for her to never show up at all) it would be Martel's.

There were two people of the group he valued above all the others, even if he shouldn't have, even if he tried not to. Martel was one of them. He stops dead, shocked, but he doesn't turn around right away.

No, he didn't think this was possible, why does it have to happen now, when he knows she'll go away again, when he knows she'll leave. And now he understands too well just how Archer feels. What it's like having someone show up only to know they're going to leave again and maybe you'll get lucky and see them again in six months-- half a year without her.

He turns very slowly, and though Greed isn't smiling, he looks happy to see her.]

It's been a while, doll.

[nestingdevil]

[It should have been oblivion at hand. The final card played, the last trick he had left. And it should have ended just like that - a curtain call without a hint of regret.]

[Sometimes though, fate had different intentions.]

[The cold doesn't bother him - it never could, really. He only vaguely acknowledges it; the slight prick of something wet, the touch of slick residue running the length of the silver framing out his shades. His, he's reminded. His body, his things. An impossibility, yet:]

["There's no such thing as no such thing.".]

[Greed snaps his sunglasses open with a practiced throw of the thumb and one of the earpieces swings wide. A grin flashes - as sharp as a knife and just as deadly. His teeth file into a row, spreading from one side of his jaw to the other. The Sin's eyes have already fallen shut, the scoff on his tongue billowing with with a frigid hiss.]

[The world around him isn't one he recognizes - something different, something new. But not at all unwelcome.]

[His heel sinks into the ground and his sunglasses raise nimbly in his fingers. They press to his face, his thumb and index hitching them back up the bridge of his nose. Fog spreads across the lenses, stealing the pitch-black color and marking them stark-white to the touch. Greed lifts his head as he chases a smile to the almost-fluorescent light above. An overcast hue; dull, but blinding. The white flicks across the metal on his sunglasses, racing lines for a moment or two.] Oh-? Well, that's new.

[The rumble in his voice is baritone-thick. Coming from deep down, churning an old fire that should have been doused a long time ago. He doesn't know how much time has really passed, but it doesn't seem to matter.]

[Greed slouches and one foot rolls out, sending the signature tip of his boot outwards. The other follows, matching step for step. Small crescents line his wake, mapping out his final direction.]

[A direction leading him straight into -] Ah-?

[ossifragant]

[The weather is one of those things he's become acutely aware of. Living nearly eight months as a human will do that to a guy. Just because he can't do it now doesn't mean that Greed will be changing back to old habits.

Before, he would have worn the same thing with no regard for the changes in the temperature, but it's different now. He's human, usually, and while Greed will probably throw caution to the wind eventually and throw off his winter coat in favor of rolling around in the snow before running back inside to warm up, he isn't going to do that yet.

He also wouldn't do it when the cold air doesn't quite register to him.

None of this stops him from prowling through the city like he's looking for something, hands stuffed in his pockets. He might not be dressed head to toe in leather today, but Greed doesn't come across as a man minding his own business not today.

When he catches sight of the other, he stops abruptly, looking mildly annoyed more than anything else, head tipping to the left.]

....that's a little creepy, isn't it?

[His tone makes it sound like running into a doppelganger is an expected occurrence instead of something that should be impossible.]

[alchemicals]

[...that is some really obvious skulking there, Greed. A+, would be highly amused at again.]

Hopefully you weren't planning on having the fun start without me.

[Kimbley doesn't seem wary, not like he did last time; he's pretty sure nothing's happened to change the status quo, though that may partially be due to the fact that it feels like he was last here, what, three minutes ago? Only now it's wicked cold and obviously time has passed...ehhh. Thankfully he's used to the concept of the timeskip, even if he doesn't account for it in practice.

He's actually got a Pokéball in his hand this time around; he's tossing it up idly and catching it out of the air again like a goddamn delinquent, just to give himself something to do with himself. It's the only one he's got on him, but at least it's something.]

It's been a while, right?

[ossifragant]

[Greed stops, smirking when he sees Kimbley.]

Six months.

[He watches the other man for a long moment. At least it's stopped him from continuing to obviously be up to no good, but with Kimbley showing up all that really means is that they're about to find trouble. It's cold enough that they should head inside, but Greed doesn't have anywhere in particular to be right now.]

What do you have there?