ossifragant | [IC] Empatheias Inbox

[Grocery shopping is always fun (no it isn't) but Archer is the sort of person who can't stand being idle, so naturally he's been busy. He's got a bag with him today because again, grocery shopping, but he's not exactly in any rush to get home.

Or at least, he wasn't. But that's when he sees Greed and everything immediately gets a bit awkward. It's a bit too late to pretend he didn't see him or cross the street, so here we are.]

...Ah, hello, Greed.

[THIS IS AWKWARD ALREADY.]

[Greed has taken to wandering the streets-- it's boring, when you don't technically need to sleep, but at least it means he's learned his way around the city fairly quickly, all things considered.

He does pause when he sees Archer, though. It's been a while, and their last interaction was.... awkward, to say the least.]

It's been a while.

...Yes, it has.

["Awkward" is one way to word it, yes. Archer shifts the bag of groceries and glances away.]

How have you been?

[Idle smalltalk it is! Wow.]

[....Wow.

He didn't think Archer was the type for smalltalk. Greed shifts his weight, resting it on his right leg.]

Okay, I guess.

[It's not really a lie.]

You look.... better than the last time we met.

I'm feeling better, yes.

[Now would be when a normal person apologized for the outburst, but Archer honestly isn't sorry. He does look away though, because wow. This is hella awkward.]

...He's alright as well.

[You know. In case you were wondering.]

[Greed lets out a nervous laugh, running his hand through his hair.]

I--

I'm glad to hear that.

[Wow, this is awkward.

Maybe this should be a verboten topic between them.]

Of course. I thought you might appreciate the update.

[Yep. That's. Really all there is to say about it. The less said about how messed up he was, the better!]

Yeah. It's--

It's appreciated.

[Oh god, he has no idea how to switch the topic right now.]

[He nods and then just... goes quiet.]

Right, well, I should be going.

[.....]

You...

You'll be all right, won't you?

[...

Well, that's an odd question. Archer doesn't know what to do with it so he just stares at Greed for a long moment.]

Of course I will be. What you saw there was a momentary slip; I usually don't have problems like that.

[That... isn't really true, but it's easier than trying to figure out another response.]

Yeah. Right.

[He doesn't look like he believes Archer, but he also doesn't look like he's going to call him out on anything.]

Seems like this place has a way of doing that to people.

Apparently. I suppose weird emotional effects will do that to you.

[He sounds irritated with it, but it's not getting any of those emotional effects.]

[The lack of emotional effects means he's not feeling an emotion very strongly, right?? Greed still doesn't really know how this works.]

That, and the world threatening to end every other month.

[Completely deadpan.]

Oh of course. Piphron should be up next, since he hasn't shown up yet. Trust and distrust are the emotions he covers.

[It does get colder at that, but that's because Archer's still mad about the Arehtei representative position. He will probably never let that go.]

[...That gets Greed's attention.]

He the one you're allied with, I take it?

It is really that obvious?

[Archer shakes his head and continues before he can get an answer.]

Yes, he is, and I imagine his arrival will be just as horrible as all the others.

[If not even more, because Archer is aligned to him.]

It was that or someone aligned with him really pissed you off. Emotional reactions around here have this tendency to give things away you'd rather ignore.

[He sounds far too pleased.]

Seems like this place likes to attract a lot of trouble.

[He's been here for so long and he still hasn't figured out a way to control his emotional reactions... that's definitely a problem, but Archer doesn't respond to that statement.]

Of course it does. I suspect the natives blame us for it but it's not as though there's anything we can do about it if it is our faults. None of us chose to arrive here.

Do we even know why we were brought here?

We'd leave, if we could both figure out how and why the hell people keep being dragged here in the first place.

[Leaving would be a bad idea for you, but of course Archer doesn't say that!!]

I don't know. I haven't found anything useful since I've arrived.

[archer, if you think he's going to return to the shitshow that is amestris of his own free will....]

I doubt the natives know anything. If they did, they'd be shoving us all out the door by now.

[what, you don't want to watch all your friends die because kimbley betrayed you???]

Of course they would. I imagine we'll figure out something eventually.

[He shifts the bag a bit again and shakes his head.]

Anyway, speculating about it like this isn't going to solve anything.

[look man, that hasn't happened yet

lets pretend it's not going to happen and spare everyone involved from an enraged, fully powered homunculus]

Yeah. No sense worrying about it until the world starts falling on our heads.

[But he sounds too happy about the prospect, so]

[well it's not like he's going to tell greed!!! he'd like to live, thanks!!]

It probably will soon. I suppose there's not much we can do to prepare for it.

Given how the locals have been, I'd hope people are starting to think of ways to keep them all from dying the next time the apocalypse happens.

[The way that's worded makes it sound like Greed won't be happening, but you know.

Some things are slow to happen, like homunculi caring about the end of the world, apparently.]

Who knows? I suppose we'll see when Piphron shows up.

[it's gonna be ugly]

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